SUICIDAL MAN ARRESTED FOLLOWING ATTEMPT TO ELUDE ON INTERSTATE 84 IN PORTLAND AREA (PHOTOS)
Posted: June 13th, 2010 7:40 PM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2010-06/1002/36021/061310.i84elude.1.JPG
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2010-06/1002/36021/061310.i84elude.2.JPG
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2010-06/1002/36021/061310.i84elude.3.JPG
State, county and city police officers teamed together Sunday afternoon to stop a potentially suicidal man armed with a knife as he attempted to elude officers westbound on Interstate 84 from Troutdale. The man's attempt to elude ended with a combination of spike strip deployment and tactical vehicle intervention maneuvers just prior to Interstate 5.
On June 13, 2010 at approximately 1:18 p.m. Oregon State Police (OSP) Trooper Alex Monarch was patrolling on the frontage road in the Lewis and Clark State Park area near Interstate 84 when he came upon a gray Ford Ranger pickup stopped partially in the road. Trooper Monarch used an outside speaker and asked the driver to move the pickup, but it didn't move so the trooper got out of his patrol car to contact the driver. While walking up to the pickup, it drove off and got onto Interstate 84 westbound.
Trooper Monarch got back into his OSP patrol car, caught up to the pickup and tried to initiate a traffic stop. The driver continued westbound without yielding at speeds under 60 mph. A Multnomah County (MCSO) deputy joined OSP westbound near Wood Village and both officers followed the pickup with overhead lights on.
A Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officer was positioned near NE 148th Avenue westbound to attempt spike strip deployment. The pickup's driver steered onto the freeway shoulder and got around the spike strips at which point he obviously was attempting to elude and not stop for the officers. A MCSO deputy was able to get in position to look at the driver and noted he was holding an approximate 8 inch knife in his hand as he drove.
The pickup got onto Interstate 205 southbound and re-merged onto westbound Interstate 84 with speeds never reaching above 65 mph. As the pickup approached milepost 2 an OSP trooper set out spike strips in the left lane and was able to deflate the right front tire. A PPB officer than executed a tactical vehicle intervention maneuver that caused the pickup to strike the center concrete barrier and stop.
Officers from the three agencies stopped westbound traffic and implemented felony take down procedures at gun point. The driver got out holding the knife and refused to comply before getting back into the pickup and drove away westbound again. A second PPB officer used another tactical vehicle intervention maneuver, successfully causing the pickup to spin and stop where officers used their patrol cars to pin the vehicle in.
The driver got out again holding the knife as officers negotiated with him to surrender. The driver dropped the knife and began to move away from it when he was taken to the ground, restrained and handcuffed at about 1:40 p.m.
The driver was identified as CURTIS OQUIST MAY, age 31, from Gresham. He told officers that he was heading out to the Dodge Park area to take his own life when Trooper Monarch came across his pickup.
MAY was lodged in the Multnomah County Justice Center on one count of felony attempt to elude in a vehicle. Mental health professionals will be contacted for an evaluation.
Photograph Source - Oregon State Police
### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
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