Eugene Police arrest man they claim fired at officers after fleeing from traffic stop
This story was updated at 1:45 p.m.
Eugene Police arrested a 31-year-old man they said rammed a police vehicle with a truck, fled from a traffic stop and shot at officers Thursday night.
A Eugene Police officer pulled over a man and woman in a truck at a carwash parking lot at 3570 W 11th Ave. around 11:15 p.m. Thursday. During a press conference on Friday morning, Police Chief Chris Skinner did not know the reason for the initial traffic stop.
As the officer pursued the vehicle, Skinner said, multiple shots were fired at him and other officers joining in the chasey. Skinner said the male driver appeared to reach through the truck's sliding back window to fire at officers with a handgun.
The chase ended at a home outside the city in the 29000 block of Fox Hollow Road.
A man and woman inside the truck fled into the home on Fox Hollow, police said, and the home's occupants safely evacuated.
Skinner said he was unsure whether the occupants heard the suspects enter and left on their own or if they were forced out. Skinner said the residents have been cooperative and police have had no indication that they had any prior connection to the suspects.
Eugene Police activated its SWAT and crisis negotiation teams, which arrived on scene around 12:30 a.m. Friday.
Police said the man and woman refused to exit, prompting officers to use chemical munitions. Later, officers discovered the suspects had begun to barricade the staircase inside the house.
Suspects shot at officers almost immediately after the chemical munitions were discharged, according to Skinner. Officers fired back. No one was injured in the process, police added.
The man surrendered around 4 a.m. Skinner said the man told officers the woman was still inside the home and "deceased."
Officers went into the home and found the woman who appeared to be lifeless. Officers determined the medical distress was from a possible drug overdose.
"One of the SWAT team members noticed that she had made a very, ever so slight gasp, and recognized her to still be alive," Skinner said. "(They) immediately administered Narcan and stabilized her enough to where medics could come in and get her and essentially saved her life this morning."
Eugene-Springfield Fire transported her to a hospital for treatment.
"As of right now, she seems to be doing fine or as fine as you can be after an overdose," Skinner said. "We don't know what she ingested." A toxicology report will determine if she was using a substance and what kind.
The chief said he did not know whether any controlled substances were found on the woman or in the truck. He said officers will investigate whether the driver had been driving while under the influence of intoxicants.
Police took the man to the Lane County Jail. Charges are pending.
The Lane County Interagency Deadly Force Investigation Team has taken over the investigation into the use of force. Eugene Police are referring questions about that investigation to the District Attorney's office, which oversees IDFIT.
Skinner said that about four or five officers are on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.
"We really err on the side of caution with respect to this," Skinner said. "Any officers that either fired or were fired upon, we want to make sure their wellness is the important piece of this and their ability to decompress. What we find is there's better recall of the totality of the incident when they have a chance to do that."
He said the investigation is still in its early stages.
"I see this as being an incredibly fortunate and lucky set of circumstances that we didn't have any officers hurt," Skinner said. "We didn't have any subjects hurt or citizens hurt, we didn't have any homeowners hurt, and a lot of gunfire, and it could have gone a completely different direction."
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Police: Man arrested after fleeing traffic stop, firing at officers
