Sisters man arrested in guns-drawn traffic stop, accused of hitting pedestrian, brandishing knife during argument
Barney Lerten
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — A 29-year-old Sisters man was arrested in a guns-drawn traffic stop Wednesday morning on assault, hit-and-run and other charges, accused of hitting a pedestrian on a sidewalk and a short time later brandishing a knife during an argument.
Around 10:50 a.m., Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported hit and run involving a vehicle vs. a pedestrian in the area of West Hood Avenue and Highway 20 West in Sisters, Lt. Chad Davis said.
Deschutes County 911 dispatchers advised a gold-colored sedan had driven up onto the sidewalk at this location in the oncoming lane and struck a pedestrian. Several citizens witnessed the vehicle strike the pedestrian and later provided statements to deputies.
The car was seen leaving the area, heading west on Highway 20, Davis said. Deputies responding to the scene evaluated the pedestrian and began to search for the suspect vehicle.
The pedestrian, a 35-year-old Sisters man, had minor injuries and refused treatment from medics with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District, Davis said. He received minor scrapes and abrasions from being struck by the driver’s side mirror of the suspect vehicle and was able to walk away from the scene.
At 10:56 a.m., a separate 911 call was received from the Mainline Station at 1001 Rail Way, where there was a reported dispute involving a man who was brandishing a knife.
Prior to a nearby deputy arriving at Mainline Station, the man with the knife was seen leaving in a gold-colored sedan, Davis said.
Deputies were able to locate the gold sedan near the original hit-and-run scene, where they performed a high-risk vehicle stop.
The suspect complied and was taken into custody without incident, Davis said. He was lodged at the Deschutes County Jail in Bend on charges of second-degree assault, failure to perform the duties of a driver involving injury, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, reckless driving, reckless endangering and second-degree disorderly conduct.
Davis said the investigation determined that after the driver struck the man with his vehicle, he drove to Mainline Station, where he got into a separate argument with a 46-year-old Sisters man.
The suspect is accused of brandishing a folding knife at the other man during the verbal confrontation.
Staff at Mainline Station called 911 to report the dispute. Eventually, the suspect drove away from Mainline, heading east on Highway 20, where he was stopped by deputies and taken into custody.
Davis said neither of the victims had any prior affiliation with the man.
KTVZ News policy is not to name arrested individuals until and unless formal charges are filed.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the incident by officers from the Black Butte Ranch Police Department and medics from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District.