In a fast and furious four minutes of activity, a 13-year-old Bend-area boy thought responsible for the attempted burglary of a local computer store led police on a high-speed car chase, crashed his family’s Mercedes – allegedly taken without permission-- into a curb and guardrail, then finally stopped after blowing out a tire, police reported. He has been charged with over half-a-dozen crimes.

Bend Police officers were responding to Connecting Point Computers at 514 NW Franklin Boulevard about 3:10 a.m., August 6, in response to a possible burglary in progress when the first officer arriving saw a dark gray 2007 Mercedes SUV leaving the area without headlights, Sgt. Ron Taylor wrote in a news release.

The driver failed to stop when the officer turned on the emergency lights of his police vehicle, and a pursuit began.

The suspect drove north on NE Third Street at what Taylor described as a “high rate of speed” until the SUV struck a curb and guardrail on the overpass above railroad tracks – an impact that caused a rear tire to blow out.

The vehicle continued north on Third Street until he entered the Bend Parkway via Empire Boulevard, then continued north on Highway 97 to Nels Anderson Road, and finally stopped about one block later, Taylor said.

The suspect, 13-year-old Christian Schuster, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Deschutes County Juvenile Department.

“Schuster had taken the family vehicle without permission, and evidence that was located in the vehicle led officers to believe Shuster was the person who had attempted to break into the Connecting Point Computer Center,” Sgt. Taylor wrote in a news release.

Shuster is charged with second-degree attempted burglary, possession of burglars’ tools, first and second-degree criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude police and reckless driving.