Clackamas, Ore., deputies chase car theft suspect into Vancouver

Clackamas County, Ore., sheriff’s deputies chased a stolen vehicle early Wednesday morning into Vancouver. The driver ditched the stolen pickup and has not been caught.

The owner of the 1997 Dodge Ram pickup called 911 at 3:23 a.m. to report his vehicle had been stolen, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said in an email.

A deputy spotted the truck about 10 minutes later and tried to pull it over on Interstate 205 near Oregon Highway 224, the sheriff’s office said. The driver refused to stop and led deputies north on a chase.

Deputies asked for the Portland Police Bureau to deploy spike strips, which were unsuccessful, and then contacted Washington law enforcement agencies when the pursuit continued across the Interstate 205 Bridge.

When the driver reached Vancouver, they increased their speed to 100 mph and, at one point, the truck drove onto a center median. Deputies decided to stop the chase due to safety concerns, according to the sheriff’s office.

The pickup was located a short time later; it had crashed into a tree south of Northeast 76th Street, and the driver had fled on foot. A passenger, identified as Chelsea Ann Munday, was still at the scene when deputies arrived and was taken into custody without incident.

Munday received medical treatment at a hospital for minor injuries before being taken to jail on felony warrants out of Clackamas and Washington counties in Oregon.

Deputies have not yet apprehended the driver and did not provide the driver’s name.