Central Coast Pursuit, July 21

On Friday, July 18, 2020, at about 9:48PM, Lincoln City Police responded to a suspicious minivan parked behind an unoccupied residence. Officer Snidow arrived a short time later, locating the reported minivan. As the Officer was making contact, the female occupant of the minivan drove away at a high rate of speed after being told to stop by the Officer. A few minutes later, Officer Tolzman located the suspect minivan pulling into the drive-thru of Dutch Bros Coffee, still driving at a high rate of speed. The driver continued through the drive-thru and turned northbound onto N Highway 101. After seeing multiple traffic violations, Officer Tolzman attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver failed to pull over, and other officers joined in the pursuit. The driver continued northbound and was driving within her lane of travel at an appropriate speed, but still refusing to pull over. The driver momentarily pulled over on N Highway 101 near N 26th St, but then quickly sped off again. Officer Snidow was able to get ahead of the suspect vehicle and deploy Stop-Sticks at the N Highway 101 and N Logan Rd intersection near McDonald’s. The Stop-Stick deployment was successful and deflated both passenger side tires. After driving over the Stop-Sticks, the driver turned onto N Logan Rd and accelerated to over 70MPH and narrowly missed a motorcyclist. The passenger side tires began coming apart and the driver pulled over onto the shoulder of N Logan Rd near NE Port Ln. The driver refused to comply with Officer’s commands to exit the vehicle. The driver climbed into the back of the minivan where all the windows were covered with blankets. Officers approached the minivan and smashed the side window. The female still refused to comply and started yelling at the Officers. Officers deployed OC/pepper spray on the female suspect. The female inside the minivan began complying immediately after the OC deployment. Officers were able to take the female into custody without further incident. Officers administered first aid to the female suspect until medical personnel arrived. Shannon Kay Cowart (49) of Lincoln City was arrested on the following charges: Felony Eluding Police by Vehicle, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering, Interfering with Police, and False Info to Police. Cowart was transported to the Lincoln City Police Department and held there while officers completed criminal citations on the above listed charges. Due to the Lincoln County Jail’s Covid-19 precautions, Cowart was issued the citations and released. The LCPD would like to thank the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, North Lincoln Fire & Rescue and Pacific West Ambulance for their assistance with this incident. We are thankful there were no injuries to any of the involved officers, other citizens, or any other property damage sustained as a result of the pursuit.