Idaho Teen Crashes On I-84 After 20-Mile Chase Across Eastern OR

LA GRANDE, OR — A 17-year-old boy from Boise, Idaho, led Oregon State troopers on a 20-mile high-speed highway chase across Union County on Wednesday before crashing into a guard rail and sending his vehicle off the road and into the woods — where it burst into flames. The unidentified boy then tried to run from the crash, according to state police, but he was caught a short time later.

The chase initially began around 12:30 p.m. May 30, when an Oregon State Police trooper from the La Grande Area Command spotted a green 1997 Toyota Camry traveling north at high speeds on Interstate-84 near milepost 278, just north of North Powder.

The trooper tried to stop the Camry, but the 17-year-old driver continued to speed across the westbound lanes at more than 110 mph, police officials said, adding that the trooper ultimately abandoned the chase for safety reasons.

Roughly 20 miles later, on the westside of La Grande, another OSP trooper spotted the speeding Camry near the town of Perry.

Picking up the chase at milepost 258, the trooper followed the Camry until it slammed into a guard rail at a slight bend in the interstate and careened into the woods near milepost 257.

Coming to rest awkwardly in a patch of brush and trees, the driver reportedly exited the Camry armed with a machete before the Camry ignited and became fully engulfed in fire.

A brief standoff ensued between troopers and the boy before he chose to turn and run into the forest.

Troopers reportedly established a perimeter and talked the boy into giving up, which he did a short time later.

Because the driver is a minor, he remains unidentified. However, OSP officials did say that he will be charged with reckless driving, and both felony and misdemeanor elude.

The right lane on I-84 was closed near the crash site for roughly two hours while police investigated and fire crews put out the car fire.

Images via Oregon State Police