Driver Rams Police Cars And Nearly Hits Officers, Is Later Arrested On 20 Charges (Photo) -10/29/24

Several Tigard Police officers are thankfully safe, after they were nearly hit by the driver of a stolen car who rammed police cars on Thursday. The suspect was safely taken into custody in a Tigard neighborhood Monday afternoon on 20 criminal charges.

On Thursday, October 24, 2024, officers responded to the Tigard Walmart parking lot (7800 SW Dartmouth Street) just after 10am. A man reported his car had been stolen in a burglary in Portland earlier that morning, and he’d tracked it to the Walmart store parking lot. As plain-clothed detectives responded to the scene, a man and woman came out of the store and got back in the stolen car. 

Police officers in marked patrol cars boxed in the stolen car to try and prevent the driver from leaving. However, the driver rammed several police cars and other parked cars, then threw the stolen car in reverse and went up over a curb and fire hydrant to get away, nearly hitting at least two officers in the process. The suspect then led officers on a pursuit headed toward Portland on I-5. Tigard Police supervisors discontinued the pursuit a few minutes later for safety reasons. 

In all, four police cars and two other parked cars were damaged. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. The stolen car was recovered by Portland Police the next day, October 25, 2024, and the suspect was identified as Richard Wilson, age 47, from Portland.

On Monday, October 28, 2024, Tigard Police located Wilson near an apartment complex on SW Hunziker Road. He ran through a wooded area, and a K-9 team from Hillsboro Police tracked him to a collapsed pop-up trailer in the backyard of a home on SW Cherry Drive.

For over an hour, officers worked to communicate with Wilson and get him to come out. The Washington County Tactical Negotiation Team (TNT) and Crisis Negotiations Unit (CNU) responded to assist at the scene, along with drone teams from Tigard and Sherwood Police. Wilson ultimately came out and was safely arrested.

Wilson was taken to the Washington County Jail on the following 20 charges:

• Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle
• Recklessly Endangering x6
• Attempting to Elude a Police Officer
• Criminal Driving – Suspended/Revoked
• Possession of a Stolen Vehicle
• Hit and run – Vehicle/Property (x4)
• Criminal Mischief II x4
• Reckless Driving
• Parole Violation

We’d like to thank our partners at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsboro Police and Sherwood Police for their assistance.

A video showing body worn camera and in-car footage from this incident is available here: https://youtu.be/3JQ8-bV6bGk. 

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