High-Speed Chase Early Tuesday Ends in Apparent Suicide

(Silverton) - A police pursuit that began around 1:00 AM Tuesday in Clackamas County, ended in tragic circumstances near Silverton about 45-minutes later.

It apparently began when a Clackamas County deputy stopped a vehicle in Wilsonville. The deputy says that after stopping initially, the male suspect fled southbound on Interstate 5. OSP troopers and Marion County deputies joined in as they chased the eluding vehicle southbound.

A Marion County deputy reportedly fired at least one shot at the suspect near Woodburn. They say the man continued southbound and exited in the Salem area. From there, he is alleged to have proceeded northbound towards Woodburn on area highways, and then eastbound on Highway 214 toward Silverton.

Deputies say they laid out spike strips during the pursuit, but the suspect was able to avoid these attempts until a Silverton police officer successfully deployed spike strips on Highway 214, as the vehicle approached the city limits.

Deputies say the suspect vehicle began to slow and subsequently came to a stop just west of the Silverton city limits at about 1:45 AM.

Officers asked the suspect to surrender, but say he failed to comply. During the attempts to convince hem to surrender, they say he shot himself and ultimately, died at the scene.

Highway 214 was reopened about 7:30 AM.

Oregon State Police detectives, with the assistance of Marion County District Attorney's Office, Marion County Sheriff's Office, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, and local agencies are continuing the investigation. Keizer Police Department is the lead investigating agency related to the reported Marion County SO deputy shooting near Woodburn.