JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – A wanted man was captured after he led police on a chase through southern Oregon, police say.
Just before 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, a green Mercedes from Washington State eluded Oregon State Police on Interstate 5 near Ashland. It was reportedly seen driving northbound at a high rate of speed.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said a few minutes later, the Mercedes was spotted by a deputy near White City. The deputy followed the vehicle onto Antelope Road, but the pursuit was terminated because of the suspect’s reckless driving.
Deputies kept their distance and watched the Mercedes come back into town, eventually getting back on northbound I-5. It drove recklessly again as multiple law enforcement agencies sporadically watched.
Eventually, the Mercedes made it to Grants Pass where it exited I-5 and crashed through a fence. The vehicle was later found abandoned where under I-5 on Foothill Boulevard.
According to the sheriff’s office, two people were seen getting out of the Mercedes and hitching a ride from an unwitting driver. That person was later pulled over as it entered Rogue River. The two passengers inside were a man and a woman.
Deputies said while the woman was uncooperative, she was released. The man, Phillip Michael Davis from Seattle, denied he was the driver of the Mercedes. However, investigators said they were able to prove otherwise.
Davis had a felony escape warrant out of Washington State. He was lodged in the Jackson County Jail for attempting to elude in a vehicle, attempting to elude on foot, reckless driving and reckless endangering.
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