Portland, Oregon Teen felon fights with police, steals police car and escapes
12:55 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 31, 2005
By ANTONIA GIEDWOYN, kgw.com Staff
A teenage felon fought with police before jumping in a police car and trying to flee in east Portland on Tuesday night.
Officers were on patrol at the 82nd Avenue MAX platform when they recognized and confronted 19-year-old Lee Otis Hill, who had several felony warrants, police said.
As soon as the officers attempted to arrest Hill, he began to fight, according to authorities who said Hill broke free of the officers and jumped over an embankment, then ran over the MAX tracks and into traffic on the Banfield.
An officer traveling eastbound on the freeway saw several cars narrowly miss hitting Hill.
She activated her overhead lights and got out of her car, not yet knowing Hill had just escaped the officers directly above her.
Within moments, Hill began to run towards the police car. At about the same time, the officer spotted the suspect and the two raced toward the vehicle.
Hill won, but not for long. He reached the patrol car and immediately drove up the 82nd Avenue off-ramp. A short time later, police found the unoccupied patrol car near the in the 800 block of Northeast 91st Avenue.
He was eventually found hiding in brush. Hill was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, resist arrest, escape and several felony warrants.