Portland Police Use Spike Strips, Drone, and K-9 to Catch Armed Fugitive in Stolen Land Rover
PORTLAND, Ore. — When a suspect with outstanding warrants was spotted by Portland Police Bureau officers in a stolen 2024 Land Rover Defender late on Friday afternoon, it resulted in a multi-agency operation to track and arrest the man.
Two patrol officers from the Portland Focused Intervention Team (FIT)spotted a man driving the stolen vehicle east on Northeast Glisan Street. The officers called for backup, and a traffic stop was conducted at Northeast Hoyt Street and Northeast 162nd Avenue.
The officers recognized the driver as Quahar A. Bell, a 20-year-old with outstanding warrants for escape and the unlawful possession of a firearm.
Bell refused to cooperate and attempted to drive away, but spike strips punctured the tires. Bell and his two passengers then abandoned the Land Rover in the 16300 block of Northeast Wasco Street in Gresham and fled the scene.
Multi-Agency Tracking Operation
Members of FIT, the East Precinct, Gresham Police units, a drone, and a K-9 assisted in a tracking operation. Three people were taken into custody, but one was later released without charges. Another unrelated subject with warrants was taken into custody by Gresham officers.
A firearm inside the vehicle was seized, and a second weapon was located during the tracking operation. Bell was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and charged with the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude police by vehicle (felony), attempting to elude police on foot (misdemeanor), reckless endangerment, reckless driving, possession of a stolen vehicle, and his outstanding warrants.
A 17-year-old juvenile male, of Portland, was booked into the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center on charges of the unlawful possession of concealed firearms and the unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in a public place (a city code violation).