Klamath Falls, Ore. – A man attempting to elude police in a stolen truck is dead following a crash with a Klamath County Sheriff’s Deputy early Monday morning.
The accident happened at around 12:30 Monday morning in the 1200 block of Lakeshore Drive.
Neighbor Marvin Stump says he didn’t hear the crash…
“We didn’t know anything about it, until we heard the sirens coming.”
The deceased has been identified as 28 year old Matthew Colligan.
Police say Colligan had stolen a pickup truck from a home on Oregon Avenue Sunday morning.
District Attorney Rob Patridge says police say Colligan in that truck downtown Sunday night…
“He was going at a high speed down fifth street the wrong way – that chase was then terminated.”
Patridge adds that police are still trying to piece together just what happened next, which led to a crash that killed Matthew Colligan…
“It wasn’t even a pursuit – I don’t know that the pursuit was even resumed – at that point in time, the deputy spotted the vehicle, the vehicle may have spotted the deputy – or not.”
The deputy’s truck hit Colligan’s truck broadside, knocking both cars off the road.
The name of the deputy hasn’t been released, but we do know he was taken to Sky Lakes Medical Center with minor injuries, and later released.
The deputy is now on paid administrative leave, pending completion of the investigation.
The Klamath County Major Crime Team was activated, since an officer was involved in a fatal crash.
This wasn’t Colligan’s first brush with the law.
Colligan’s criminal history includes arrests for meth possession, attempting to elude, and theft.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday.
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