A Gresham man appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Thursday on suspicion that he led police on a 12-mile high-speed chase from Fairview, Ore., to Vancouver.
Daniel Edstrom, 23, was held on $40,000 bail. He faces charges of attempt to elude police and possession of a stolen vehicle at his March 14 arraignment.
Judge Robert Lewis appointed Clark Fridley to defend him.
Officers from six agencies assisted in apprehending Edstrom on Wednesday. The pursuit began at 2:44 a.m. when a Fairview police officer spotted a 1989 Acura Integra that the officer learned was stolen, Fairview police Sgt. John Pemberton said.
The driver of the Integra ran a red light and then drove onto Interstate 84 westbound as the officer pursued him, Pemberton said.
Edstrom then drove at speeds of more than 100 mph north on Interstate 205, where he met with spike strips that caused the car’s tires to disintegrate and sparks to fly 100 feet behind the vehicle, Pemberton said.
The car finally was disabled after it left the freeway via the Mill Plain exit of I-205 and then spun out in the 400 block of Northeast 112th Avenue.
But the driver didn’t stop there.
He fled the vehicle on foot and hid in the area. Vancouver police and a canine unit with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded and set up a search area.
Vancouver police eventually found Edstrom in some bushes behind Oscar’s Bar & Grill, 400 N.E. 112th Ave., and took him into custody. Nobody was injured.
He was also wanted on a District Court warrant. Pemberton said that Edstrom is likely to face similar charges in Oregon.
A male passenger in the vehicle told police he didn’t know the vehicle was stolen and had asked Edstrom to stop for police, Vancouver Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. He does not face charges.
Paris Achen: 360-735-4551; http://twitter.com/Col_Courts; http://facebook.com/ColTrends; paris.achen@columbian.com.
