BEND, Ore. — A police chase through Bend on Wednesday morning, complete with spike strips, ended with a suspect taken into custody.
Law enforcement stopped the driver at the intersection of 15th Street and Reed Market Road after deploying the strips.
“I saw two officers pull up onto the roundabout and jump out of their cars with spike strips,” said witness Casy Toney.
He saw the SUV going through the roundabout with authorities in pursuit around 7:40 a.m. Toney recorded video showing the vehicle running over and dragging the spike strip before it fell to the ground.
Bend police said it was a stolen vehicle that Oregon State Police had been tracking.
“I was just dropping my little guy off at preschool on my way to Phagan’s school. When I was getting ready to leave, I heard, ‘Pull the car over’ really loud over the cop’s microphone. I look over, and there was this silver SUV and at least eight or nine cops at that point chasing behind,” witness Rio Killian said.
Killian said she was nearly hit by a police car.
“I pull out, and I turn left going down 15th, heading north, and here come even more cops. At the point of the roundabout, it’s so tight that my Jeep almost got hit, and then another car almost got hit as an officer was trying to get around us to go around the roundabout and keep going,” Killian said.
Authorities said a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy initiated the chase and Bend police took the suspect into custody.
“The person who was driving the car put a lot of people’s lives in danger. The fact that it was close to my son’s preschool was a little scary because the kids play outside there. There’s a bus stop right there,” Killian said.
Bend police said no further details will be released until a press statement.