Eugene police say a 31-year-old man led officers on a high-speed chase and fired a gun at them before ultimately surrendering at a rural house early this morning.
The incident began after 11 p.m. Thursday when an officer pulled the man over in west Eugene.
Police Chief Chris Skinner said the driver rammed the patrol car with his vehicle and then took off, shooting through the window of his pickup truck at the pursuing officer.
The driver, along with a female companion, entered a rural home on Fox Hollow Road south of Eugene. The residents of the house fled unharmed. An hours-long standoff followed.
“The two individuals occupied the house," Skinner said during a Friday morning press conference at Eugene Police headquarters. "They barricaded themselves in the house. There was some exchange of gunfire out of the windows.”
Skinner said police used chemical munitions after crisis negotiations were unproductive. The man eventually surrendered without further incident, and indicated his companion inside the house was experiencing a medical emergency. Officers then entered the house and gave medical aid to the female suspect, who police say appeared to have overdosed on drugs.
Skinner said no officers were injured during the incident and that the two suspects were not injured by any police action.
"I see this as being an incredibly fortunate and lucky set of circumstances that we didn't have any officers hurt, subjects hurt, or homeowners hurt," said Skinner. "We had a lot of gunfire and it could have gone a completely different direction."
The male suspect, Chet Raymond of Eugene, is in Lane County Jail pending charges. Skinner said that as of Friday morning, the female suspect, who police did not name, remained in the hospital.
