Prineville PD hunt for pickup thief who fired shot

Prineville police said Thursday they are still looking for whoever stole a pickup truck near a downtown tavern Wednesday night and abandoned it near a grocery store – then fired a shot from a hunting rifle taken from inside the truck.

Police and Crook County sheriff’s deputies responded around 8:45 p.m. to reports of a shot fired in the area of the IGA Market at 930 N. Main Street, said Police Chief Les Stiles.

Officers learned the suspect a short time earlier stole a 2002 Ford pickup from the area of Fourth and Main Street, near the Horseshoe Tavern. The theft suspect abandoned the truck near the IGA parking lot and took a rifle, firing one round into the air, then dropped the gun and ran away.

No injury or property damage was found from the fired round, Stiles said, adding that more investigation of the round’s trajectory was taking place Thursday.

Because the gun was left behind, “the suspect is not considered to be armed or dangerous at this time,” Stiles added.

Prineville police were assisted in a search of the area by sheriff’s deputies and a Bend police K-9 team, but did not find the suspect, Stiles said. The pickup was processed for evidence and returned to the owner.

Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact Prineville police Sgt. Jimmy O’Daniel at 541-447-4168.