Suspect Eludes Salem Officers

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem Police were attempting a simple traffic stop on a silver 2000 Dodge Durango last night at 11:21 p.m. on Commercial Street at Boone Road, when the suspect reportedly fled into the parking lot behind subway.

Sgt Andrew Connolly with Salem Police says the suspect bailed out on foot leaving a hand gun on the passenger seat.

Police quickly established a perimeter and began searching for the suspect using police dogs.

About 10 minutes after all this started, Gainna Gates, the registered owner of the Durango, called it in stolen.

While police searched for the suspect, officers made contact with Gates. Connolly said Gates reported the vehicle stolen at 11:31 p.m., advising the dispatcher that it was actually stolen at 8:00 p.m.

After a lengthy interview, Gates was arrested for filling a false police report, and taken to Marion County Jail.

Police called D.H.S. to take custody of the three children that were in the house with Miss Gates; it is unknown at this time if the children were her own.

Connolly described the suspect as a white or Hispanic male, six foot tall, with a medium build and dark curly hair. He was reportedly wearing dark clothing.

Connolly says this man may be dangerous. Anyone with information about this suspect should contact Corporal Dennis Keena with the Salem police.

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Vic May 6, 2009 8:50 am (Pacific time)

"established a perimeter " Copspeak for "they got away"..

jimmy May 6, 2009 8:43 am (Pacific time)

Sound like Mrs. Gates got tipped off that someone she knows got into a bit of trouble with her Durango and decided to try to help him out. I can see from here that she is holding back information.

Anonymous May 5, 2009 1:05 pm (Pacific time)

This happened practically right next to where I live. Fun stuff. We get this sort of action all the time. There were at least 6 patrol cars so we knew something big was going on.

Anonymous May 5, 2009 11:02 am (Pacific time)

At least law enforcement in Oregon does not have the below problem so far: "On April 1, officers assigned to the LAPD’s 77th Street Division in South Central L.A. arrested 27 people for illegal street vending. Sixteen of them were determined to be illegal aliens, and they were reported to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The ICE agents placed immigration holds on the 16, initiating the process for deporting them upon disposition of the local charges. The notification to ICE was made with the full knowledge of the officers’ chain of command. But soon alarm bells were ringing in the mayor’s and city council’s offices, in the local Spanish-language media, and finally in various offices of the LAPD. Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz, who heads the LAPD’s Central Bureau and therefore has no line authority over the South Bureau’s 77th Street Division, circumvented the chain of command and ordered the 16 illegal aliens released on their own recognizance. The other 11 arrestees, all of whom were citizens or legal U.S. residents, received no such consideration and had to make bail or remain in custody until their court appearances. Diaz also asked ICE to drop the immigration proceedings against the 16, a request that was politely but firmly denied. It may not surprise you to learn it was Diaz who was promoted to deputy chief after the May Day troubles of 2007."

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