SALEM, Ore. – A man from Medford was arrested for leading police on a chase in a stolen U-Haul van.
According to Oregon State Police, 38-year-old Jose Flores—whose last known address was in Medford—was reportedly driving recklessly on Interstate 5 near Salem on the afternoon of January 27.
An OSP trooper tried to stop Flores, but he continued northbound on the highway in a U-Haul van. Due to heavy traffic, the trooper stopped the pursuit. A short time later, it was determined the van was stolen.
About 20 minutes after the initial call came in, other troopers saw Flores driving the van recklessly and watched him as he continued northbound.
Eventually, the U-Haul pulled into a gas station in Salem. That’s where troopers say they tried to block the van in without success. Flores drove the vehicle onto Market Street, causing a collision.
OSP said while the van was wedged between two vehicles, they tried blocking it in. Flores rammed an OSP patrol vehicle, resulting in extensive damage to the U-Haul van.
Flores drove the vehicle back onto northbound I-5, eventually coming to a stop just before milepost 257.
Investigators said Flores was lodged in the Marion County Jail on numerous charges, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, failure to obey a police officer, attempted assault on a police officer, reckless driving and mail theft.
Troopers said the van was stolen from Seattle while it was being used to deliver Amazon packages. The vehicle was reportedly still loaded with the parcels.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.