An 18-year-old Redmond man is being charged with multiple traffic-related offenses following an alleged attempt to elude an Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper in the Redmond area that ended when his car drove into an irrigation ditch and became stuck. The suspect fled on foot but was taken into custody with the help of Redmond police and Deschutes County deputies, police reported.
An OSP trooper stopped a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier with two occupants on Highway 97 near milepost 124 at Yew Avenue about 8:20 p.m., December 29. When the trooper got out of his patrol car, the suspect drove off, fleeing westbound on Yew Avenue where his car struck and broke a stop sign at the intersection with S. Canal, troopers reported.
The 18-year-old driver of this vehicle allegedly led police on a car and foot chase before being apprehended - OSP photos.
The driver, Charles A. Mansfield, an 18-year-old Redmond resident, continued to attempt to elude the trooper southbound away from Redmond before he headed back toward town. At one point the car left a street and jumped over an irrigation ditch causing the airbags to deploy, but it came back onto the roadway and continued fleeing, OSP said. According to a news release, the car came to a dead-end at a cul-de-sac on Juniper Avenue and drove through what appeared to be a vacant lot, but instead it drove into an irrigation ditch and became stuck.
Mansfield fled on foot but was apprehended by Redmond police and Deschutes County deputies, the news release stated.
The car chase lasted about six minutes with speeds, at times, reaching near 90-mph, troopers said.
Mansfield was transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Redmond for treatment of minor injuries he received earlier in the day when he was reportedly assaulted.
While being treated at the hospital, Mansfield was cited to appear in Deschutes County Circuit Court for charges including felony attempt to elude in a vehicle, misdemeanor attempt to elude on foot, reckless driving and failure to perform the duties of a driver involved in a crash.
Additional charges may be pending, OSP reported.