Driver in high-speed chase found on home’s roof near Bend
(Adding previous pursuit, arrest in 2015)
A 31-year-old Bend man who fled an attempted traffic stop on Deschutes Market Road at about 95 mph Sunday evening prompted a brief pursuit, was later spotted running a stop sign east of town and was found by searchers as he hid on the roof of a home in the area, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.
A deputy was preparing to stop a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am for a registration violation around 6 p.m. in the Deschutes Junction area, said sheriff’s Lt. Ty Rupert.
When the driver, later identified as Andrew Mychael Johnston, saw the deputy, he quickly accelerated to about 95 mph, heading south on Deschutes Market Road, Rupert said.
The deputy tried to overtake the car as Johnston was making unsafe passes into oncoming traffic, according to Rupert. Due to the risk to the public and motorists, the deputy immediately discontinued the pursuit.
A short time later, a citizen reported seeing a car matching the description speeding through a stop sign at Butler Market and Hamehook roads, Rupert said.
The Pontiac was then spotted by two Forest Service officers who were in an unmarked car. They saw Johnston’s car pull into a driveway in the 21600 block of Butler Market Road, apparently attempting to hide from police, the lieutenant said.
Deputies rushed to the area and established a search and containment perimeter, with initial reports indicating the driver was hiding south of the home.
Sheriff’s K-9 Ezel and his handler, Deputy Jeremiah Johnston, attempted to track the suspect, who ran from the car, Rupert said.
During a search of the area, Johnston was found hiding on the roof of the home and was taken into custody without incident.
Johnston was booked into the county jail and held without bail on a felony parole violation. He also faces a felony charge of attempting to elude a police officer, as well as felon in possession of a stun device and reckless driving.
In November 2015, Bend police said Johnston refused to pull over for police in northeast Bend, sparking a brief pursuit. Officers said he crashed into an occupied car and ran but was captured moments later.
