Skip to Content
Top Stories
By
February 3, 2021 6:43 pm
Published 3:58 pm

Bend driver, 19, arrested after wild pursuit, wrong-way Parkway drive, crashes

Bend reckless driver pickup
Bend Police Department
Bend police shared photos of pickup truck involved in reckless driving, on-and-off pursuit, hit-and-run crashes

Police say he struck tree, power box, two patrol cars

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 19-year-old Bend resident with a suspended driver’s license was arrested late Tuesday night on reckless driving, hit-and-run and other charges, accused of fleeing police, driving the wrong way on the Bend Parkway and crashing into a tree, power box and two Bend police cars.

Around 10:40 p.m., police received a report of someone disturbing neighbors near the COCC campus by doing “cookies” and loudly revving their engine, Lt. Juli McConkey said.

The caller also drove to the parking lot and confronted the pickup driver, asking him to stop, which he refused. McConkey said the driver followed the caller for about 20 minutes with his lights and light bar on “bright,” throughout northwest Bend.

The caller reported he was able to turn down several streets and get away from the pickup. Police were en route to the area to try to find the driver when the caller reported to 911 that the driver was following him again.

Police located the pickup on Northeast Third Street at Kearney Avenue. An officer tried to stop him at Third Street and Greenwood Avenue, but the driver went around a vehicle and drove onto a sidewalk to elude the officer, heading toward downtown Bend at high speed, McConkey said.

The officer did not pursue the driver, as road conditions were icy and snow-covered. But police again spotted the pickup near Northwest Wall Street and the southbound onramp to the Bend Parkway.

The driver kept going at high speed and missed the turn to go southbound when the pickup went over the center median and headed north in the parkway’s southbound lanes. The driver nearly struck two southbound vehicles head-on.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies set up in several locations with “spike strips” to stop the pickup driver, but he did not go through any of the locations.

The pickup was spotted again by Bend police at Revere and Harriman streets, where police said the driver crashed into a tree. When an officer tried to stop him again, he put the pickup in reverse and nearly struck the officer’s car, McConkey said. After driving off, he crashed into a power box, causing an outage in the area.

Officers pursued the driver as he drove toward the Newport Avenue bridge and lost control of his car. Officers tried to block in the pickup to stop him, but he went into reverse and rammed two Bend police cars, damaging them, McConkey said.

The pickup driver continued driving recklessly, she said, as officers saw him turn into the Awbrey Pines Apartments at 2500 Northwest Regency Street and run into an apartment.

Officers were preparing a search warrant when the driver came out of the apartment and he was arrested without further incident.

An area resident, Abby Krause, said the large police response "was very scary, because they were just flying through the neighborhood" and blocking area streets.

"Then I walked down a little bit, and I heard all the cops with their megaphones, telling the suspect to come out with their hands up," she said.

The driver was booked into the county jail on charges including multiple counts of reckless driving, reckless endangering, criminal mischief, attempted assault and fleeing or attempting to elude police. He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on a dozen initial charges and is due back in court Feb. 23 for arraignment on an expected formal indictment.

Accidents and Crashes / Bend / Crime And Courts / News

Barney Lerten

Barney is the digital content director for NewsChannel 21. Learn more about Barney here.

Related Articles

Comments

33 Comments

        1. I was aware of that. The old “they build them right here” comment. However, Toyota of North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota of Japan. They build them here to avoid paying import tariffs. Also, Toyota laborers who build them here are non-union and paid about half what the America automakers pay. All the money they rake in flies right out of our borders.
          The more I know?

  2. Another fine example of a Bendtucky youth. I bet his liberal parents are so proud of him. No worries, be happy, China Joe Obiden will fix everything!!!!

    1. only you could pretend this guy has anything to do with all of your perceived “enemies” – you know what kind of guy he is, and no amount of hand waving on your part will change that

      – native? what tribe?

        1. the enemies you wear like the clown costume that it is, that defines your identity, the ones without whom you would cease to exist –

          – native? – what tribe?…….. thought so

          1. Sorry guy, you are wrong again. I paid for my own water and sewer system – right at 50K out of my pocket, not that you would know anything about paying for something yourself. No worries, be happy, China Joe Obiden will fix everything!!!

    2. I love how astoundingly ignorant this comment is. I know who this kid is, and if you check out his facebook page, the first public post is a photo that says “Biden is not my president”.
      This kid is a mullet-havin’, trump lovin’ bastard. Hope this helps. 🙂

      1. Hey honeywide, I do not do the facebook stalking like a lot of people do, so I have no idea who this kid is, nor do I care actually. Still a prime Bendtucky example. By your decleration that he is a quote “This kid is a mullet-havin’, trump lovin’ bastard.’ I have to think your one for China Joe Obiden?

  13. Good job Mom & Dad on teaching this idiot how to drive Glutenghost your very wright This young gen don’t even have a clue Way to much electronics / no common sense

Leave a Reply

Skip to content