Car Thief Caught By K9s, Helicopter: Police

PORTLAND, OR — Police in Portland on Monday arrested an alleged car thief who fled from officers before hitting spike strips and crashing his stolen vehicle.

Garrett Ryan Botello, 36, was taken to Multnomah County Jail. He is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, reckless driving, and attempting to elude officers both in a vehicle and on foot.

Botello was reportedly arrested after initially fleeing from East Precinct officers who attempted to pull him over early Monday.

Botello was spotted in the midst of an unspecified traffic violation just before 1 a.m. April 23, police authorities said in a statement. Driving a black Dodge truck near Southeast 104th Avenue and Southeast Powell Boulevard, Botello reportedly sped onto Interstate-205 heading north when the officer tried to pull him over.

Officers chose not to pursue Botello and instead kept track of his movements via the Portland Police Bureau's Air Support Unit.

The helicopter followed Botello as he traveled over the Columbia River into Washington State before heading back to Oregon and exiting at Northeast Sandy Boulevard, roughly 6 miles north of where officers first saw him.

Ahead of Botello's return, officers using the helicopter's updates setup spike strips on Northeast 105th Avenue, south of Northeast Sandy Boulevard.

Though the strips punctured and flattened the Dodge's tires, Botello continued to flee through the Maywood Park neighborhood until he crashed in a parking lot at Northeast 111th Avenue and Northeast Knott Street.

After crashing his handicapped vehicle, Botello ran off on foot. He was eventually caught with combined help from the Air Support and Canine units, police said.

Afterward, police learned the license plate on the Dodge actually belonged to another vehicle.

Botello is no stranger to crime in Oregon, according to court records obtained by Patch. Since 2000, Botello has been arrested more than a dozen times. His charges over the years include possession and delivery of methamphetamine and various other controlled substances, theft, assault, menacing, and several attempts to elude police.

Image via Portland Police Bureau