Dodgy driver rams pursuing officer

It’s a mystery why this suspect fled an early-morning police stop in Lents – but the results of his actions may be haunting him in the future …

After an officer tries to stop a wildly-driven Jeep in the Lents neighborhood, the driver takes off on SE Holgate Boulevard, and heads west.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

After several Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Percent officers took notice of a red 1989 Jeep Comanche pickup careening around Lents neighborhood streets early on July 21, one of them attempted to stop the reckless driver near SE 100th Avenue and Holgate Boulevard at 03:39 a.m. that morning.

But, even after the officer “lit up” the vehicle, turning on the bright blue and green emergency lights and activating the siren, the driver kept on going.

“During the pursuit, officers deployed several PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuvers, in an attempt to stop the driver and vehicle,” reported PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Christopher Burley.

Police finally box in the jeep, in the Foster-Powell neighborhood.

“Officers used spike strips and successfully flattened some of the vehicle’s tires, but still, the subject was able to drive out of subsequent PIT maneuvers, until being boxed-in near SE 72nd Avenue and Foster Road,” Burley described.

“At that time, the subject rammed two police vehicles, injuring an officer,” said Burley.

The suspect rams police cruisers, sending an officer to the hospital by ambulance.

The suspect ultimately gave up and was taken into custody – while medical personnel gave aid to the injured officer, who was transported to a hospital by ambulance for treatment of minor injuries before being released.

Although released from jail mere hours after his reckless driving spree, 33-year-old Andrew Douglas Lentz will face multiple charges in court.

The suspect, 33-year-old Andrew Douglas Lentz, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center at 8:20 a.m. that morning on charges of Attempt to Elude by Vehicle, Reckless Driving, four counts of Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, and Fail to Perform the Duties of a Driver — Property.

After his arraignment later that same morning, a Multnomah County Court judge released Lentz from jail, without bond. Release Reason: Pretrial Release Services.

Comments are closed.