OSP log: suspect shot in Tillamook; fatal accident on the highway near La Grande

Editor's Note: This report is based on information provided by the Oregon State Police. Not all fatal crashes are necessarily included. Incident status may change after further investigation.

SATURDAY JUNE 22

• 4:20 p.m. — Officers responded to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 203 approximately 4 miles southwest of La Grande, which claimed the life of William Justin Curtiss, 38, of Union. OSP's preliminary investigation indicated that Curtiss was driving a Ford Explorer and, for unknown reasons, left the travel lane, overcorrected the roadway and struck a bridge abutment. The Ford rolled several times and ejected the driver before coming to rest on the shoulder of the highway. Curtiss was pronounced deceased at the scene.

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PSO Operations

WEDNESDAY JUNE 26

• 6:37 p.m. — Tillamook County law enforcement officers shot and killed a 37-year-old Damascus man during an exchange of gunfire. According to information provided by OSP, the incident began when Tillamook police officers, Tillamook County sheriff's deputies and Oregon State Troopers attempted to stop a Toyota Tacoma in the parking lot of a Fred Meyer near Highway 101 and Makinster Road. OSP reported that officers had reasonable grounds to arrest the man for evading law enforcement in the previous days.

During the stop, the suspect, identified as Joey De La Rosa Rodriguez, allegedly fired a pistol at several law enforcement vehicles. An exchange of gunfire ensued between Rodriguez and personnel from the Tillamook Police Department and Tillamook County Sheriff's Office. The suspect fled the scene and a pursuit ensued south on Highway 101 for approximately 5 miles before the vehicle was partially disabled by spike strips on the road.

OSP reports Rodriguez suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the gunfire. He was treated at a local medical facility before being transported to the Tillamook County Jail on a warrant issued by Clackamas and Yamhill counties and charged with attempted escape.

No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.