Portland Man Steals SUV from Burglarized Business, Crashes During High-Speed Chase

Lane County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deputies arrested a 28-year-old Portland man speeding away from a Cottage Grove traffic stop in a Scion xB SUV stolen from a Portland business that he’d allegedly burglarized on Tuesday afternoon.

Responding to a report that a vehicle stolen from a Portland business was spotted in the area of London Road at about 1:30 p.m. on March 25, LCSO deputies were informed that the driver, later identified as Austin Taylor Williams, was also suspected of burglarizing the business that owned the vehicle.

The company was tracking the SUV in real time by GPS, and the Cottage Grove Police Department assisted in the investigation.

According to the police, Williams sped away from a deputy who attempted to pull him over before crashing into another vehicle at North 9th Street and West Woodson Place.

The deputy terminated the pursuit because the GPS was tracking the vehicle, but witnesses then directed him in Williams’ direction of travel—running away on foot after the crash.

Williams was caught and arrested a short time later and transported to the Lane County Jail on several charges, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, attempt to elude by vehicle, attempt to elude by foot, and failure to perform the duties of a driver.

He also had four Multnomah County Circuit Court warrants for probation violations, and jail records at the time of publication indicated he was still in custody.