Vancouver police say an officer was assaulted when suspects believed to be involved in a grocery store theft Sunday night rammed a police vehicle.
Officers were called to the store near Mill Plain Boulevard and Andresen Road around 9:10 p.m. Initial details gathered there indicated the suspects drove to an apartment building in the 2900 block of General Anderson Road.
As officers were approaching the apartments, the suspects’ vehicle intentionally rammed a police car and then sped off, police said.
“The suspect vehicle continued fleeing into Oregon, where local jurisdiction officers and deputies took over,” VPD said in a release. The suspects were arrested in Oregon, the release said.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office reported that the pursuit ended on Interstate 5 near Stafford Road. Officers reportedly used a pursuit technique to push the fleeing vehicle off of the road.
Police identified the suspects as Robert Legg and Melvin Chargualaf.
Clackamas County Sgt. Brian Jensen said Legg was booked at the county jail on suspicion of unauthorized use of a vehicle and two counts of attempting to elude police. He was also arrested on a couple of outstanding warrants, Jensen said. Chargualaf may face a charge of heroin possession, according to the sergeant.
The officer in the vehicle that had been rammed was treated at a hospital and released. The police department did not detail the officer’s injuries or say whether they were serious.
