A 24-year-old man was arrested early Friday morning after leading police on a pursuit into Eugene, according to a release from Springfield Police Department. (SPD).
Just after 2:30 a.m., an officer initiated a traffic stop on a 2001 Jeep Cherokee on Franklin Blvd. in the Glenwood area. The driver, identified later as Terrance Austin Pate Jr., 24, no permanent address, did not comply.
Pate reportedly sped off towards Eugene at speeds over 90 mph, but crashed the Jeep while trying to navigate the intersection of Franklin Blvd. and E. 11th Ave after striking the curb and overturning the Jeep.
Pate left the vehicle on foot, running across Franklin Blvd. towards the Mill Race. He was tracked down by a SPD K-9, but entered the water and crossed the Mill Race, eventually being captured by a Eugene Police officer. Eugene Police and University of Oregon Police both assisted SPD in the pursuit of Pate.
Police charged Pate with reckless driving, eluding police by vehicle and foot, and felony hit and run. He also was arrested on a Benton County warrant.
Pate may face additional charges as heroin was discovered in the Jeep after the crash.
A female passenger was left in the overturned vehicle. She and Pate were taken to a Springfield hospital for treatment of minor injuries from the crash.
The Cherokee was a total loss, according to police.
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