Updated: YCSO reports shots fired at police vehicles, two in custody; Amity man still on the run
[Update 11/5 7 p.m.]
The Yamhill County District Attorney has charged a Salem man with three counts of attempted aggravated murder with a firearm after he allegedly shot at police vehicles during a chase Tuesday morning.
A busy morning for local law enforcement concluded with the arrest of Justice Allen Cochran, 24, following a vehicle pursuit from south of Amity to McMinnville.
The chase ended on Highway 18 between the interchanges of Highway 99W and Three Mile Lane in McMinnville. The road was closed for more than eight hours for investigation.
The second suspect was a 17-year-old juvenile, according to Oregon State Police Captain Kyle Kennedy.
Prior to the incident, YCSO released information of an active investigation involving Keith Edwin Becker, 36, of Amity, who was being tracked by a K9 unit west of McKee Road, between Laughter Lane and Perrydale Road, south of Amity. YCSO said he fled from a vehicle during a pursuit when stop sticks deflated the tires of his vehicle and it went off the roadway.
Becker remains at large, Kennedy told the News-Register.
“While possible (the two pursuits) are related, that connection hasn’t been established at this time,” Kennedy said.
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Two vehicle pursuits, a K9 track and shots fired at law enforcement vehicles occurred Tuesday morning from Amity to McMinnville, resulting in two people being in custody, according to initial reports from the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.
Highway 18 was closed until Tuesday evening for investigation. It is now open for traffic.
YCSO first reported this morning they and several mutual aid partners were actively searching for Keith Edwin Becker, 36, after he fled from a vehicle on McKee Road near Highway 99W south of Amity, following a vehicle pursuit resulting in the suspect’s tires being deflated by stop sticks. Becker was suspected in numerous burglaries and thefts, YCSO said.
Soon after, a second pursuit originated from the same vicinity of a K9 track south of Amity and ended near McMinnville.
“During this pursuit, the suspect vehicle rammed a YCSO vehicle and multiple shots were fired from the suspect vehicle striking 2 different YCSO vehicles,” YCSO said in a statement. “The suspect vehicle crashed and 2 people fled on foot. Both were apprehended and are in custody.”
Officials have not yet confirmed if Becker was one of the two in custody.
Becker had a warrant out for his arrest after he failed to appear for an Oct. 23 sentencing hearing. On Oct. 1, he pleaded guilty to two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle related a Jan. 1, 2025, arrest for stealing a Tacoma truck from a rural Amity residence and an ATV from a rural Dayton residence. The truck and cab were filled without tools, has tanks, bags and other items not belonging to the owner, according to a probable cause statement, along with pipes and methamphetamine.
This story will be updated as more information is provided.
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