Deputy Shoots At Vehicle Occupied By 2 Adults And 1 Infant

THE DALLES, OR — A 30-year-old Utah man was arrested south of Tygh Valley in Central Oregon Thursday afternoon following a 65-mile police chase that began on Interstate-84 and ended with a Wasco County deputy firing multiple rounds at the suspect's vehicle — which at the time was occupied by the suspect, a woman, and their infant child.

Rudy Foki Paea Fifita was taken to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) in The Dalles and charged with attempting to elude an officer and recklessly endangering another person. Currently, Fifita is facing charges only from one of the two counties through which his chase ran. The second county's charges are pending.

The afternoon's pursuit began when an Oregon State Trooper spotted a speeding Dodge pickup, driven by Fifita, heading westbound on Interstate-84 at Milepost 109 around 3:20 p.m. Jan. 18. When the trooper attempted to pull over the Dodge, Fifita chose instead to flee.

According to OSP spokeswoman Lt. Cari Boyd, the trooper pursued Fifita through I-84 Exit 104, over the Biggs Junction overpass, and back onto the interstate's westbound lanes.

Fifita continued roughly 2.5 miles before he abruptly turned off the interstate near Milepost 102, crossed the grassy median, and headed back east toward Biggs Junction. For safety, the trooper chose not to pursue Fifita over the median, Boyd said.

Fifita then retook I-84 Exit 104 at Biggs and began traveling south on Highway 97.

Near Highway 97 Milepost 13, just north of Moro, a Sherman County deputy reportedly spotted Fifita traveling at a high rate of speed; the deputy attempted to perform a traffic stop, but once again Fifita refused to pull over. The deputy did not attempt to follow him.

Some time later, Fifita left Highway 97 at Grass Valley and continued south/southwest on Highway 216.

Shortly after switching highways, an Oregon Fish & Wildlife trooper spotted Fifita and was able to call in his new location.

Near the Wasco County line, roughly 20 minutes after the Sherman County deputy held off on chasing Fifita through Moro, Fifita managed to avoid spike strips laid across Highway 216 as he continued west. Fifita avoided a second set of strips laid at the intersection of highways 216 and 197, just north of Tygh Valley, before turning south onto 197.

Roughly 4 miles south of Tygh Valley, around 4:25 p.m., a Wasco County deputy located Fifita's Dodge at a farmhouse off Highway 197. As Fifita again attempted to take the highway, the deputy reportedly pulled out his sidearm and fired several rounds at the Dodge.

Following the shots, Fifita gave up the chase and was taken into custody without further incident.

Fifita's passengers, 23-year-old Tiffany Joan Roubmai, of Haiku, Hawaii, and their 1-year-old son, were uninjured. Roubmai was detained (though not arrested) and released with her child.

It's unclear at this time if the Wasco County deputy knew Roubmai and the infant were in the car at the time of the shooting.

"It's definitely something we have to take into consideration," Boyd told Patch, explaining typical protocol law enforcement is expected to follow before discharging their weapons. "We need to know our target and what's behind it."

Oregon State Police will investigate the shooting, Boyd said. The deputy's name has not yet been released.

This post will be updated when more information is made available.

Image via Oregon State Police