Farmer caught Jefferson County pursuit on camera, shortly before it ended in crash on Hwy. 26 at Elm Lane
(Update: Adding video, comments from chase witness; ID, background of suspect)
MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A pursuit north of Madras by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy Friday evening ended in a crash that critically injured the fleeing driver, a Washington state man who Oregon State Police said ran a stop sign and struck another car on U.S. Highway 26. Two people in that vehicle also were injured.
The crash was reported shortly before 8 p.m. Friday on Highway 26 at NW Elm Lane, about three miles north of Madras.
Chris Casad lives nearby and was in a field moving irrigation equipment when he took out his phone and recorded the chase.
"The engines are what first caught my ear," he recalled Monday. "When people are flooring it out here, you can tell."
There was still crash debris in the area Monday on Highway 26 at Northwest Elm Lane.
According to Oregon State Police, there was a three-vehicle collision when the fleeing driver struck another car as he tried to cross Highway 26 without stopping at a stop sign or yielding to cross-traffic.
"It wasn't long," after the recording the crash occurred, Casad said. "He really was headed towards that highway at an extreme rate. I don't think anyone could've guessed he was just going to blow right through it."
Just seconds after Casad stopped recording, he heard the crash.
As he and his wife made their way to the site, they noticed a woman, who they believe got out of the car driven by the suspect.
"She was kind of in shock," Casad said. "She had been let out, and then (we) brought her to our home. We got her some water and a jacket. Then we took her to the crash scene where the sheriff's (deputies) were."
The fleeing driver, who OSP identified as Alexzander Orchard, 30,was arrested in September of last year in Klamath County and in February 2021 in Washington state for evading police, court records and media reports indicated.
Casad said, ""For a small county and a limited number of deputies, they have their hands full."
Orchard was flown to St. Charles Bend and was in critical condition as of Friday night. Two people in the vehicle struck by the suspect also were taken to the hospital, according to OSP, who said the investigation was ongoing.
The crash and investigation closed the highway at milepost 113 for a time. A detour was set up using NW Elm Lane, N. Adams Drive and NW Cherry Lane.
Sheriff Jason Pollock said he expected to have information to release about the incident this week.
