What started as a routine overnight patrol near Tigard turned into a pre-dawn scramble involving a stolen car, a rooftop hideout, a police drone and a K-9 unit. By sunrise Wednesday, five teenagers were in custody, four of them facing charges tied to the abandoned vehicle and earlier runaways from a local rehabilitation home.
According to police, several of the teens had outstanding juvenile warrants. Four were arrested on accusations that included unauthorized use of a vehicle, trespassing and escape, while a fifth was taken into protective custody but not charged.
Stolen Car Found At Pacific Highway Gas Station
An officer on overnight patrol spotted an unoccupied stolen vehicle around 1:40 a.m. in the 11800 block of Southwest Pacific Highway, parked at a gas station, KPTV reported. A short time later, the officer saw four teens at a nearby shopping center. They took off running when the officer approached.
The vehicle’s owner told officers they had seen two teens at Tigard Plaza. Officers headed there and detained two juveniles. With teens now scattered around the neighborhood, police widened the search, bringing in a drone equipped with thermal imaging and a K-9 team.
The technology paid off. The drone and police dog helped track down another teen hiding on the roof of a business in the 8800 block of Southwest Center Street, according to KPTV. Tigard firefighters joined the operation to safely reach the teen and get them down from the rooftop without incident.
Tigard Police Confirm Runaways, Roof Rescue
In a news release, the Tigard Police Department said two of the teens who were first detained were listed as missing runaways from a Tigard rehabilitation home and both had outstanding juvenile warrants. The department added that the teen found on the rooftop matched that same description.
Police said the group had been staying at a nearby abandoned house. Officers later went to that property and found the fifth teen there, bringing the early-morning search to a close.
According to the department, the juveniles were ultimately placed into the care of juvenile departments in Washington and Clackamas counties for follow-up.
Charges And Custody
Four of the teenagers were arrested on a range of accusations, including unauthorized use of a vehicle, trespassing and escape, and several had outstanding juvenile warrants, KPTV reported. Authorities said the fifth juvenile was taken into protective custody but was not formally charged.
All five were turned over to juvenile services, which will handle their care and what comes next in the legal process.
Local Response
Tigard police highlighted that coordination between the department’s drone operators, K-9 team and Tigard firefighters helped end the incident quickly and without any injuries, according to the city’s news release. Nearby businesses experienced a brief disruption during the early-morning law enforcement response.
Officials asked anyone with additional information to contact Tigard Police. Media inquiries can be directed to the department’s Public Information Officer listed on the Tigard Police newsroom page, Tigard Police Department.
