Bend 17-year-old arrested in downtown flare gun shooting, assault

Police say flare missed alleged target, also almost struck others

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Bend 17-year-old faces aggravated assault and other charges, accused of firing a flare gun at a man, then hitting him with the gun. The flare missed the man and a nearby woman, flew over the heads of outside diners and almost hit a bicyclist in the head, police said.

Bend police received a report about 6 p.m. Saturday of the flare gun incident in the area of Northwest Wall Street and Minnesota Avenue, Lt. Juli McConkey said Tuesday.

A 22-year-old man and his friends were driving downtown when someone put a sticker on their truck, McConkey said. The driver stopped to remove the sticker, and the driver and his passengers approached the person who put the sticker on the truck.

During that confrontation, the 17-year-old male, a bystander, pointed and shot a flare gun at the victim, but the flare did not strike him, the lieutenant said. The teen then used the flare gun as a blunt-force instrument, causing injury, and ran from the scene, she said.

Several people were dining outside of Bos Taurus on Minnesota Avenue when the flare shot over their heads, nearly striking the head of a bicyclist who was stopped nearby, McConkey said.

A Bend police investigation lead to arrest of the suspect around 5:45 p.m. Monday, she said. He was lodged at the Deschutes County Juvenile Resource Center on charges of first-degree attempted assault, second-degree aggravated assault, discharge of a weapon, reckless endangering and unlawful use/carry of a weapon.

The flare gun has not been located, McConkey added. Any witnesses to the incident who have information about the case or the location of the flare gun is asked to call the county’s non-emergency dispatch line at 541-693-6911.