Pursuit/Burglar Arrested, March 20

News release CCSO.  On 3/13/17 at about 0700 hours the Coos County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle being stolen a residence on Roosevelt Street in the Charleston area.  It was reported that a 1994 Chevrolet pickup had been stolen from Thomas Hockema sometime during the night from his residence on Roosevelt.  Deputies responded to the area, contacted the victim and took a report for the stolen vehicle. At about 1051 hours on the same date, a Coos County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a vehicle traveling north bound on Highway 101 near Coos Sumner Lane, south of Coos Bay that match the description of the stolen vehicle.  The Deputy was able to confirm the vehicle was stolen by checking the license plate through DMV.  The Deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle but it immediately accelerated at a high rate of speed up Coos Sumner Lane and the deputy started pursuing it.  The vehicle turned onto Ross Inlet Road off of Coos Sumner lane and forced a log truck off the road causing it to end up in the ditch. The vehicle continued at a high rate of speed on Ross Inlet with the Deputy continuing pursuit.  At times during the pursuit the operator of the vehicle began to drive in the oncoming lane and throwing items out of the truck at the following patrol vehicle.  The Deputy pursuing the vehicle decided for the public’s safety to back off but the stolen vehicle continued to drive at a high rate of speed.  At one point the front driver’s side tire popped as the suspects attempted to turn onto Old Wagon Road from Ross Inlet causing the tire to go flat and eventually shred off the rim. The vehicle continued to flee from the Deputy and worked its way off Ross Inlet, on to Olive Barber and through Bunker Hill into Coos Bay City limits.  At this time Coos County Sheriff’s Deputies, Oregon State Police Troopers, and Coos Bay Police Officers were all assisting in the chase and trying to get police vehicles into positions to contain the pursuit.  Due to the suspect’s actions of driving recklessly, traveling at high speeds, and given the time of day, it was deemed unsafe to continue pursuing the vehicle and active chase of the vehicle was terminated.  With the flat tire on the stolen truck down to the rim, the fleeing stolen vehicle was fairly easy to track and the suspects eventually crashed the stolen vehicle into the yard 164 SW 11th street in Coos Bay.  The suspects fled the stolen truck on foot and witnesses in the area reported to officer that they saw the suspect go to another vehicle in the area and it looked like they then stole that one.  It was reported that the suspects got into an older Nissan Pathfinder just a few blocks away from the crash of the first vehicle.  Coos County Deputies received reports the second stolen vehicle was traveling towards the area of Libby Lane and Shinglehouse Slough Road.  Sheriff’s Deputies and State Police Troopers attempted to locate that vehicle but were unable to find it. The stolen pickup truck that crashed on SW 11th street was found to be full of stolen items from a burglary in Curry County.  The Coos County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident and attempting to identify the suspects who ran from the vehicle.