Bend man flees La Pine traffic stop, accused of nearly striking deputy in snow

Pursuit ended when patrol car hit turning car

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Bend man who fled a La Pine-area traffic stop early Tuesday nearly struck a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy, and his car later was hit by a deputy’s patrol car after a seven-mile pursuit on a Forest Service road in a foot of snow, deputies said.

A deputy tried to stop a 1993 Subaru Impreza about 12:15 a.m. in the area of Meadow and Big Meadow drives for failing to display license plates, Sergeant Jayson Janes said.

The driver, a 46-year-old Bend man, refused to pull over and tried to elude the deputy, Janes said.

The driver lost control due to his speed on the snow-covered roads, slid off the road and got stuck in the snow. Janes said deputies began giving the driver commands to get out of the car – but instead, he was able to get unstuck and quickly sped toward a deputy on the scene, nearly striking him, Janes said.

Deputies took up the pursuit again, due to the attempted assault, and the driver ended up on Forest Service Road 4320, which was covered in about a foot of snow, the sergeant said.

The pursuit continued for about 7 ½ miles, until the driver tried to make a turn and became perpendicular in the road. “Due to the snow-covered roads, the deputy ended up colliding with the vehicle at approximately 25 miles per hour,” Janes said in a news release.

The driver was taken into custody without further incident. He complained of pain from the crash, so he was evaluated by paramedics and taken to St. Charles Bend for evaluation.

He was then jailed on several charges, including first-degree attempted assault, attempted assault on a public safety officer, felony attempt to elude, reckless endangering, reckless driving, felon in possession of a restricted weapon (a spring-assisted knife) and misdemeanor driving with a suspended license.