HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. — A man who led police on a high speed chase as he was caught car prowling ended up being hit by his own car when he abandoned it in gear and tried to flee on foot, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
The incident began about 11 p.m. Monday when deputies were dispatched to the 1100 block of Southeast Cedar Way on a report of a man stealing from cars. He was seen leaving the area in a dark sedan.
A few minutes later, a deputy saw a black 1998 Honda Accord with Washington plates two blocks away. Belongings were scattered throughout the car.
The suspect, Isaiah J. Gellatly, 31, of Vancouver, was in the fully reclined driver's seat, police said.
If the name sounds familiar, he's the same person who stole a car in 2016 from the Mousetrap Tavern in North Portland with the owner's black Labrador still in the car. Happy ending. The KGW interview with the dog's owner is heart-warming.
So, as the deputy's flashlight illuminated him, he sat upright, put the car in gear and fled. Or as it was described in the police report "Gellatly rapidly accelerated from the curb without ever signaling back into the roadway -- in violation of ORS."
The chase was on, eventually reaching Sunnyside Road where he drove over spike strips, deflating the tires. He pushed on though, with difficulty steering the car. He hit curbs and retaining walls and the bumper of a patrol car.
He eventually bailed from the car while it was still in gear, running alongside the Honda before turning in front of it. The car crashed into a tree and and a wall.
Deputies found Gellatly with his leg pinned under a deflated tire. They jacked up the car and freed him. He was taken to the hospital for a broken leg.
Charges are pending, but they likely will include attempt to elude, reckless driving, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and second-degree theft, police said.