Car Thieves Ram Oregon State Police Vehicle While Eluding

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Oregon State Police Southern Command Center dispatch at 800-442-2068.

Photo: OSP

(CANYONVILLE) - Oregon State Police (OSP) are looking for two men involved in a Monday afternoon incident on Interstate 5 in the Canyonville area after they rammed an OSP patrol car while attempting to elude in a stolen vehicle. The car, reported stolen out of California, was recovered abandoned about an hour later east of Canyonville and witnesses reported the two men got into another vehicle. On January 1st at about 1:25 PM, OSP Senior Trooper Kevin Bennett attempted to stop a white 2003 Ford Taurus with California license plates occupied by two men for a traffic violation after exiting northbound Interstate 5 at exit 99 in the Canyonville area. The car stopped abruptly and then sped off attempting to elude the trooper on secondary roads before going southbound on Interstate 5 in a reckless manner. The trooper was moving into position near the left rear of the car when it swerved to the left into the right front of the patrol car, forcing the patrol car into the center median where it got stuck in the mud. Witnesses reported the fleeing Ford Taurus exitted the freeway and drove east on Tiller Trail Road. About one hour later, another OSP trooper found the Ford Taurus abandoned about five miles east of Interstate 5 on Tiller Trail Road. Witnesses reported the two men were seen getting into a light blue or gray four-door passenger car with unknown Oregon "tree style" license plate. The car was occupied by two white females and it is unknown if they knew the two male suspects. The two male suspects are described as: #1 - white male adult, 25 - 30 years of age, bald with scars, wearing a dark blue nylon jacket, jeans and possibly a gray hooded sweatshirt jacket. #2 - "scruffy" white male adult in 40's, wearing a dark shirt of jacket. The Ford Taurus was reported as one of two stolen cars taken from a Crescent City, California auto rental dealership on December 31, 2006. The other stolen vehicle, description not available, has not been recovered. Senior Trooper Bennett was not injured in the incident. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Oregon State Police Southern Command Center dispatch at 800-442-2068.