Police received a call around 1:45pm today that a man had just threatened Chase bank employees with an axe or hatchet type weapon and had damaged the ATM. The male suspect then fled the scene in a blue Honda Fit. Police located the same vehicle a short time later (around 2pm) at Crater Lake Parkway and Campus Drive. They attempted to stop the car near the Pilot and the driver failed to stop.
A pursuit was initiated and the suspect led police on a 60mph chase up Highway 97 North. At least two different times police attempted to stop the car by deploying spike strips. During the chase the suspect called into 911 dispatchers at least twice. During one of the calls he told dispatchers that he was a “Fleet Admiral” and it is illegal to pull him over.
The suspect finally gave up in the Chiloquin area and was arrested and transported to the Klamath County Jail. We do not have a confirmation that the suspect attempted to rob the bank or if he just threatened the employees.
The above information is based on early preliminary reports. We will update with an additional post as more information becomes available.
