Bend man arrested in Tumalo ‘bear spray’ assault

A Bend man allegedly attacked an ex-girlfriend Friday at her Tumalo home, spraying her in the face with a type of pepper spray called “bear spray,” then fled, prompting an unsuccessful manhunt and his later surrender to Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, officials said.

Deputies responded shortly before noon to the reported assault at a home in the area of 97 th Street and Tumalo Road, north of Bend, said sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Sundberg.

Deputies learned that the woman had returned home to find her ex-boyfriend, Chad Marcus, 34, inside the home without her knowledge, Sundberg said. She told deputies Marcus attacked her and sprayed her with “bear spray,” a type of pepper spray used to deter aggressive bears.

During the assault, Marcus made threatening statements, then ran away, leaving behind the bear spray and a police-style collapsible baton, the sergeant said.

Bear spray, which has the same active ingredients as pepper spray, can cause temporary blindness, swelling in the face, burning eyes and lungs, swollen mucous membranes and nasal irritation, Sundberg said.

A roommate who was home at the time called 911 to report the assault and give police the direction in which Marcus ran, Sundberg said. Deputies and Oregon State Police troopers established a containment area and deployed a police tracking dog, but he was not found, and was believed to have left the area by car.

The woman was treated by Bend Fire medics and decontaminated for exposure at her home, but did not require transport to the hospital for treatment, Sundberg said.

Several hours later, a deputy spoke with Marcus by phone and he agreed to turn himself in. Deputies met Marcus in the Redmond area and he was arrested without incident.

Marcus was lodged at the county jail on charges of first-degree menacing, fourth-degree assault (domestic violence) and second-degree unlawful use of pepper spray, with bail set at $5,000.