Close call turns into fight in Bend restaurant parking lot, leading to two arrests
KTVZ – News Team
(Update: Adding new details of incident, police concerns new scanner transcription app)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Saturday, Bend Police officers were called to Taco Salsa on Galveston Avenue following a reported dispute according to Communications Manager Sheila Miller.
Miller said a truck exiting the drive-through nearly collided with a cyclist, and the two got into a fight. Police say the cyclist punched the driver in his truck, and the driver struck back.
After that, she said, the driver of the vehicle drove onto the landscape and hit a stone or cement bench and table.
Workers at Taco Salsa told KTVZ News on Monday the driver was chasing the bicyclist, and shared with us a photo of a red bike trapped under a purple truck. Bend Police have not confirmed this detail.
The altercation continued until police arrived. Both men were arrested for disorderly conduct and fourth-degree assault, and the driver was also arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, reckless endangering, and first- and second-degree criminal mischief, according to Miller.
“We see road rage calls.” Miller told us. “We all drive. We understand it can be frustrating sometimes. Violence is not the answer, and I would encourage people to find other outlets for their aggression.”
This event caused a stir on social media with post of a screenshot from a dispatch app which claimed a car had crashed into Taco Salsa. This turned out to be incorrect. The new app listens to dispatch calls and then uses AI to write short articles based on what it hears.
The problem with this is that initial calls into 911 can contain incomplete or incorrect information. Bend police say the app may be incorrectly transcribing the calls, as well as adding details to make the articles more exciting.
“It seems to add words like ‘chaotic’ or, ‘urgent’, and it just creates sort of a sense of, I think, fear and sensationalizes information on what can typically be pretty run-of-the-mill calls for service for us,” Miller said.
Miller referenced her experience as a former journalist and encouraged people to vet their sources carefully: “I’m a big believer in taking into consideration where you get your information from and how accurate that is. And I worry that apps like this that are using AI instead of real people with real brains, can get in the way of you getting accurate information. ”
In the past, the service as reported mundane calls such as shoplifting as ‘theft with a police pursuit’ and recently exaggerated a medical call, latching into details such as a bloody car, with a gun in it near a local hospital.
Miller said police want people to be informed about our community, but they recommend looking at vetted sources, like official law enforcement social media pages.
Anyone can listen to public police dispatch calls, but it’s helpful to keep in mind these calls and police radio provide limited details.
Bend police also listed Pluse Point and Flash Alert as good alternatives, for those who want to stay informed from reputable sources.