A man was arrested early Friday morning after shots were fired at Eugene Police officers during a pursuit and standoff that started Thursday night, the Eugene Police Department said in a news release.
At around 11:15 p.m. on Thursday, January 26, a Eugene Police officer stopped a truck with a man and a woman inside on W. 11th Avenue. During the stop, the driver intentionally rammed the officer's vehicle and fled.
The officer, along with other units, pursued the vehicle. During the pursuit, multiple shots were fired from the suspect vehicle at the officers.
The pursuit ended up in the private driveway of a home in the 29000 block of Fox Hollow Road, where the suspects fled into the home. The home's residents were able to safely evacuate.
Eugene Police SWAT and EPD Crisis Negotiation Team were activated and arrived on scene around 12:30 a.m.
The suspects refused to exit, so chemical munitions were deployed and during that time, police say, the suspects shot and police outside and there was an exchange of gunfire.
Around 4 a.m., the male suspect surrendered to police and advised the female suspect was in the home suffering from a what appeared to be a medical issue. Despite the danger of a suspect still inside the house, EPD SWAT officers entered to rescue her and they found her in medical distress from a possible drug overdose and rendered medical aid. Eugene Springfield Fire had staged in the area and transported the female to a local hospital for treatment. The female and male suspects were not injured by any police action and no officers were injured.
31-year-old Chet Evan Raymond of Eugene was taken to the Lane County Jail. Charges are pending.
Eugene Police thanks local agencies for their mutual aid response, including Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield Police Department and Oregon State Police.
As pursuant to Oregon Law, Lane County’s Interagency Deadly Force Investigation team has responded and assumed primary investigative role for the use of force. Lane County’s IDFIT’s work begins immediately after an incident. The Lane County Deadly Force Plan provides “a framework for a consistent response to an officer’s use of deadly physical force that treats the law enforcement officer fairly, and promotes public confidence in the criminal justice system.”
In Oregon, deadly use of force incidents are conducted by investigators who are independent of the involved agency. This is provided for under Senate Bill 111, which was passed by the 2007 Oregon Legislature. Lane County adopted guidelines under this law in 2008, as did the City of Eugene. Since that time, each and every deadly use of force with Eugene Police Department involvement has been handled by representatives of other law enforcement agencies under IDFIT and referred to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office. This guarantees a separation from the involved agency and greater transparency. The Lane County District Attorney receives and reviews the IDFIT’s findings to determine if there were any crimes committed during the incident and response.