A Vancouver man led police on a high-speed chase early Thursday morning that crossed into Portland and ended after he rammed a police vehicle, according to the Washington State Patrol.
At about 1:40 a.m., a trooper with the Washington State Patrol spotted a black Ford Mustang traveling west on state Highway 14 at speeds exceeding 80 mph, said Trooper Will Finn.
The trooper initiated a traffic stop, but the Mustang fled.
“After some very dangerous maneuvers by the fleeing vehicle, the troopers decided to disengage somewhere (in the) downtown Vancouver area,” Finn said.
Another trooper spotted the Mustang traveling south on Interstate 5 and followed the car into Portland, Finn said.
Portland police responded to the northwest part of town, where the vehicle ended up on a dead-end road.
The suspect, later identified as Alexander Kean Barber, 19, rammed the Mustang into the front of one of the Washington State Patrol vehicles before he was eventually boxed between a police vehicle and the side of a building, officials said. The trooper was not injured.
Barber was taken into custody but later transported to a Portland hospital for treatment of a suspected heroin overdose, according to Portland police.
A female passenger in the vehicle was released without charges.
Police said they later learned that the Ford Mustang was stolen.
Barber was later booked into the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of attempting to elude by vehicle, first-degree criminal mischief, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and reckless driving.
Finn said that in Washington, Barber faces charges of suspicion of two counts of felony attempting to elude, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a dangerous weapon (brass knuckles) and driving with a revoked license.
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