VIDEO: Man evades police after bursting through dealership door in stolen Jeep
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon man is wanted by authorities for allegedly breaking into a Coos Bay car dealership, stealing an SUV, driving it through the business’s garage door and speeding away on Highway 101 as police officers looked on.
Jason Graham, the owner of the Graham Bay Area Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge Dealership told KOIN 6 News that he and several Coos Bay Police Department officers initially responded to a burglary alarm call at the Ocean Boulevard business.
Upon arriving on the scene, Graham and the officers say they watched as the man -- later identified as 45-year-old Aaron Bruce Howley -- burst out of the business’s bay door in a white 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
“It was like something from a movie,” Graham said.
According to CBPD and North Bend Police Department, the officers initially chased the man as he fled north on Highway 101. However, authorities purportedly ended their car pursuit due to public safety concerns.
After avoiding capture, CBPD says Howley was last seen driving north on Highway 101 near the truck scales in Hauser.
CBPD is asking for the public’s help locating the stolen vehicle. The vehicle has the Oregon license plate EMYL0U. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Coos Bay Police Department at (541) 269-8911 or Coos Stop Crime at 541-267-6666.