Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Wilsonville police seeking suspect who crashed stolen vehicle

Suspect flipped the car on S.W. Commerce Circle before fleeing the scene

• By: Michelle Te  
• Published: 1/20/2010 12:58:09 PM
• Last Updated: 1/20/2010 1:02:53 PM

Photo By: Wilsonville Police DepartmentFleeing suspect
A man turned a corner too sharp and flipped the stolen car he was driving on Wednesday morning in Wilsonville.

Wilsonville police are still searching for a suspect who flipped a stolen car at the intersection of S.W. 95th Avenue and S.W. Commerce earlier this morning.

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Lt. Nick Watt said several deputies, including two units from the Tualatin Police Department, and a canine unit searched for the man who reportedly stole a green 1999 Honda Civic from Washington state.

“He was driving too fast around Commerce Circle, flipped his car over on its top, and fled the scene,” Watt said. “We set up a dog track, searched for over an hour, contained the area, but still didn’t find him.”

The call came into the Clackamas County dispatch at 7:26 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, of a roll-over crash. The car was reported as a stolen vehicle in Vancouver, Wash., on Jan. 16. Investigators believe the car was speeding on Commerce Circle, struck the curb and glanced off from a tree, causing the vehicle to flip and land upside down in the roadway, said sheriff’s spokesman Det. Jim Strovink.

Watt said the suspect was last seen moving on foot in a southerly direction in the area of S.W. Commerce Circle and S.W. Ridder Road.

The canine unit was unable to pick up the suspect’s scent, he added.

Witnesses photographed the suspect as he ran from the scene, said Strovink.

“Witnesses on scene reported first hearing a resounding crash and observed the driver exit out of the vehicle momentarily dazed and disoriented prior to fleeing the scene,” he said.

A witness who sensed something peculiar with the suspect captured a photo with a cell phone.

The suspect is described by witnesses as a white male adult, 20-25 years of age, six-foot, weighing about 200-220 pounds, with a shaved heard. He was wearing a backpack and dressed in dark-colored clothing.

The recovered crashed stolen vehicle was towed from the scene by M & M Towing.
 
Anyone with information regarding this crime should contact the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office's confidential Tip Line -- by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the on line e-mail form. Refer to Clackamas County Sheriff's Office - Wilsonville Police Case #10-2057.


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