PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Authorities arrested a man for recklessly driving through several local communities to get away from deputies Tuesday evening, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say Steven Thomas Fitzpatrick, 59, had been “acting suspicious” when they arrived to investigate a shooting in the Larch Mountain area east of Corbett around 6 p.m.
When Fitzpatrick refused to speak to a deputy, officials say he got into a Ford Escort and drove recklessly down East Larch Mountain Road heading west. The deputy tried to make a traffic stop, but said Fitzpatrick didn’t pull over.
A Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office airplane spotted Fitzpatrick as his car drove through Corbett and Springdale – where officials say he continued to drive recklessly along the East Historic Columbia River Highway.
Although a sergeant with MSCO punctured one of Fitzpatrick’s tires with a spike strip, the car kept driving through Troutdale, Wood Village and Fairview. The tire started to disintegrate during the chase, and officials say Fitzpatrick kept driving even when there wasn’t any rubber left on the wheel.
Officials were finally able to stop the car in the area of Northeast Halsey Street and 196th Avenue in Gresham. By that point, they say Fitzpatrick had been driving on the tire’s bare rim.
Fitzpatrick now faces charges of felony eluding, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person. He also had numerous warrants for his arrest, according to MCSO.
Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops.
