Fugitive flees police in NE Bend, arrested after crash

A driver who refused to pull over for police in northeast Bend Saturday night sparked a brief pursuit, crashed into an occupied car and ran but was captured moments later, officers said.

There were no injuries in the roughly five-minute sequence of events that ended in the arrest of Andrew Mychael Johnston, 30, who police described as a transient who was wanted for violating his parole.

Lt. Nick Parker said an officer initiated a traffic stop around 9:35 p.m. on a silver 1996 Saab 900 near Northeast Lynda Lane and Purcell Boulevard.

The driver, later identified as Johnston, refused to stop and fled at speeds up to 60 mph, Parker said, adding that he drove recklessly and committed numerous traffic violations, from running stop signs to not using his signals.

Johnston, alone in the car headed south on Purcell and crashed into a 2003 Toyota Avalon driven by a 78-year-old Bend woman at the entrance to Aspen Ridge Retirement Living, Parker said. The cars sustained minor damage, he added.

Johnston ran from the crash scene but was detained without incident a short distance away.

The convicted felon was in possession of a restricted knife when he was arrested, the lieutenant said.

Johnston was taken to the Deschutes County Jail, where he was held without bail on parole violation. His new charges include felony and misdemeanor fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer (by car and on foot), reckless driving, misdemeanor hit-and-run and felon in possession of a restricted weapon.