Oregon: man drove his jeep into parked police car and fled, crashed in cemetery; was wanted for illegal drug manufacturing…so was his passenger!

According to the Portland, Oregon Police, in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 11, 2011, at about 12:42 a.m., North Precinct Officers were investigating a disturbance in the 4700 Block of NE 99th Avenue when a Jeep backing out of a nearby driveway struck the rear bumper of a parked patrol car which was occupied by an Officer and a prisoner. Neither was injured.
Once out of the driveway the driver accelerated north on 99th Avenue where it dead ends at Sandy Boulevard causing officers to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Then the driver attempted to drive through Columbia Cemetery to get away. He hit a berm causing the Jeep to go airborne. The Jeep landed at an angle and rolled over onto the passenger side sliding to a stop.
The driver, 43-year-old Richard Beeler became resistive with officers as he was being taken into custody and he was Tased. Beeler had a passenger 31-year-old Ruth Ott, and both had felony warrants for Drug Manufacturing.
Beeler did not have any involvement with the original police call. He was transported to an area hospital as a precaution due to the severity of the crash, he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Following his treatment at the hospital he was booked in the Multnomah County Detention Center in downtown Portland on the drug warrant, 4 counts of Attempt Assault in the first degree, Felony Hit and Run, Abuse of a Memorial to the Dead, Criminal Mischief in the first degree, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Resisting Arrest and Felony Attempt to Elude.
Additional charges may be brought against Beeler after further investigation.

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