UTPD Arrest High-Speed Pursuit Suspect, Other Suspect Found Dead

MISSION – Umatilla Tribal Police Department (UTPD) officials said they have arrested a suspect involved in a high-speed pursuit on Thursday, Jan. 2 on the Umatilla Indian Reservation (UIR) while the body of a second suspect was found the next day.

According to a UTPD report, at approximately 6:55 p.m. on Jan. 2 a UTPD officer encountered a black Nissan Infiniti with two occupants. One occupant was identified as 32-year-old Shawn Anthony Crump, a non-Indian, while the other has yet to be identified, UTPD officials said. Both suspects are from Walla Walla, according to the UTPD.

According to the report, the Infiniti was traveling 52 mph in a 35-mph zone on Highway 331 near mile post 4. After the Infiniti driver yielded to the shoulder of Hwy 331 north of Wildhorse Boulevard, the officer exited his vehicle and approached the Infiniti before the suspects drove north toward Mission Road, the report states.

The officer initiated a pursuit, with the Infiniti running through a stop sign on Mission Road and proceeding east on Mission Road at a high-speed rate, the report states.

According to the UTPD, the suspects continued east to Emigrant Road with speeds around 100 mph. The pursuit continued past mile post 5 where the suspects slowed and attempted a westbound U-turn in an area with no ambient light and heavy fog, the report states.

As the UTPD vehicle approached, the Infiniti accelerated and rammed it head on, the report states. It also states the Infiniti’s driver reversed down an adjacent embankment and turned the opposite direction before continuing west in a field.

A tire and wheel believed to be from the Infiniti were located in the field. With visibility reduced to less than 100 feet, the vehicle was found abandoned approximately 150 yards west of Emigrant Road.

Using an infrared drone, the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) responded to help locate the suspects. Oregon State Police (OSP) was also notified of a search conducted within 200 yards of westbound Interstate 84 and mile post 221. Pendleton police and UCSO deputies aided in the search, however the drone was unable to locate either suspect.

At approximately 7:50 p.m. OSP located a male on Interstate 84 westbound in the vicinity of mile post 219 near where the pursuit had ended. According to the report, the subject was identified as Crump, who made statements that he had been in the suspect vehicle.

The report states UTPD took Crump into custody for an outstanding Union County arrest warrant and transported him to St. Anthony Hospital for injuries. There he was cited and released on the warrant because Umatilla County Jail could not lodge him due to his injuries.

On Friday, Jan. 3, at approximately 2 p.m. UTPD investigators responded to a report of a non-Indian male lying in a ditch on I-84 westbound near mile post 220 on the UIR, the report states. OSP was on scene and had found the subject deceased at the base of a rocky wall west of where the Jan. 2 pursuit ended.

According to the UTPD, based on description, surveillance video and items located on his person, the deceased male was determined to be the driver who fled. Efforts are being made to positively identify the subject and notify next of kin, the report states. UTPD officials said because the deceased male is a non-tribal member, federal authorities do not have jurisdiction, and the UTPD is investigating the case.

If you have any information pertaining to the case, call 541-278-0550.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is comprised of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla Tribes, and formed under the Treaty of 1855 at the Walla Walla Valley, 12 Stat. 945. In 1949, the Tribes adopted a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance the reserved treaty rights guaranteed under federal law.