A high-speed chase that cut across nine Portland neighborhoods ended Thursday morning when police used a pursuit-intervention technique to spin out a 1999 black Ford Expedition and arrest the driver, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Investigators say the SUV crossed the Burnside Bridge, briefly headed the wrong way on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and even jumped onto a Couch Park sidewalk where pedestrians were nearly hit. No one was injured, and officers later determined that an adult female passenger in the vehicle was a victim of the suspect's criminal actions.
In a post on X, the Portland Police Bureau said an officer from Central Precinct first tried to pull over the Expedition near NW 19th Avenue and NW Savier Street after seeing the driver smoking from a glass pipe commonly used to inhale methamphetamine. Instead of stopping, the driver hit the gas, forcing the pursuit through multiple parts of the city and putting pedestrians and other road users at risk. The bureau added that at several points the driver tried to ram his way out of a pinned position before finally giving up.
According to a press release from the Portland Police Bureau, the chase ultimately ended near North Drummond Avenue and North Farragut Street when a trained officer used a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV. The driver, identified as 33-year-old David J. Rushfeldt, was taken into custody without injury and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on six outstanding warrants and new charges that include attempting to elude by vehicle (a Class C felony), domestic violence coercion, reckless driving, recklessly endangering another person, and failure to perform the duties of a driver - property damage. The case has been assigned number 26-198843.
Charges and booking
Rushfeldt remains in the Multnomah County Detention Center while Central Precinct detectives continue to investigate. Police say the adult female passenger was determined to be a victim and that investigators will present the case to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office for charging decisions.
PPB training and pursuit tactics
Portland Police training materials describe the PIT as "the intentional contact between a police vehicle and a pursued vehicle" and note that in-service training covers PIT, post-PIT procedures, and pursuit policy updates. Those materials are detailed in the bureau's 2024 in-service training report (Portland Police Bureau), which emphasizes scenario-based practice for high-risk vehicle operations.
The Portland Police Bureau said it plans to release more information as the investigation continues. Anyone with video or tips is asked to contact PPB and reference case 26-198843.
