Man Arrested for Shooting at Motorists & Attempted Car Theft

Police say the man crashed, shot at cars, tried to steal one on the freeway, and then from a car dealership where he was arrested.

DMV photograph of Vandenbos. Scene photos courtesy: Oregon State Police.

(ROSEBURG, Ore.) - Police say a Myrtle Creek-area man was arrested Saturday following a series of events starting with a single vehicle crash on Interstate 5 north of Myrtle Creek, shots fired at passing vehicles, and then an attempt to take a car from an auto dealership in Roseburg. There were no injuries.

Oregon State Police Sergeant Bill Fugate says Saturday at approximately 10:00 a.m., 32-year old Gregory Scott Vandenbos of Myrtle Creek, was involved in a non-injury single vehicle crash northbound Interstate 5 near milepost 111.

After the crash according to Fugate, Vandenbos exited his crashed vehicle and demanded a ride from other vehicles that stopped at the scene.

"Vandenbos fired at least four shots from a handgun at the occupants of three vehicles that drove away to prevent getting hit by the gunfire," Fugate said.

"After shooting at the vehicles, Vandenbos fled on foot along the freeway while witnesses were calling 9-1-1." Fugate says OSP troopers and Douglas County sheriff deputies continued responding to the scene.

"Vandenbos subsequently obtained a ride from an unsuspecting commercial truck driver north to the McLain interchange near milepost 121 in Roseburg where he was let out."

Gregory Vandenbos faces several charges

Fugate says an unidentified driver of a red pickup gave Vandenbos a ride from the freeway to the Clint Newell auto dealership and dropped him off.

"Vandenbos contacted employees at the dealership and demanded a vehicle, allegedly threatening he was armed but didn't display a firearm.

Roseburg police responded to a report of a man with a gun at the auto dealership and took VANDENBOS into custody at 10:40 a.m." Fugate said.

OSP troopers and detectives working in conjunction with Roseburg Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Myrtle Creek Police Department lodged Vandenbos in the Douglas County Jail.

He faces 3 counts of first-degree Attempted Assault and one count of second-degree Robbery. Additional charges are anticipated, they said.

Troopers say they located the suspect's semi-auto handgun along the freeway where he dropped it while fleeing on foot from the shooting scene.

With the assistance of Oregon Department of Transportatnion crews, northbound Interstate 5 was closed in the area of the crash scene until approximately 1:30 p.m.

Fulgate says investigators have interviewed two of the 3 drivers in the vehicles that were reportedly shot at.

"The third driver left northbound in a late 1990 / early 2000 blue Ford pickup. Investigators are seeking to interview the unidentified victim, the driver of the red pickup that gave the suspect a ride to the auto dealership, and any witnesses not interviewed by police."

He says those witnesses should contact OSP Southern Command Center dispatch at (541) 776-6111.

No further information is being released at this time.