GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The arrest of a suspected burglar did not begin with a burglary report, but with a report of a man pushing his car down a residential road, according to the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety (GPDPS).
Officers first received the call about "suspicious activity" around 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The caller reported a man pushing a vehicle down Hamilton Lane near Fruitdale Drive.
When an officer arrived at the scene in a marked police vehicle, the man ran from the scene with a German Shepherd alongside him.
"He refused to obey lawful commands to stop as he left his vehicle, partially in the roadway, creating a hazard," GPDPS said.
The officer gave chase while other police units began responding. According to the agency, the man then ran into a backyard on Axtell Drive — abandoning his dog as he began jumping fences in the direction of Fruitdale Drive.
Meanwhile, GPDPS said that it had positively identified the man as the registered owner of the abandoned vehicle, 59-year-old Ricky McCord of Grants Pass.
Soon dispatch received another call about a man who had broken into the basement of a home in the 1600-block of Fruitdale Drive.
"When confronted by the homeowner, the male stated he was law enforcement and was armed," GPDPS said.
The agency said that officers began forming a perimeter while the man ran away, jumping fences as he went.
"Due to the nature of this incident and the statements the male subject was armed, it was decided to summon a Police K9," GPDPS said.
Once they brought in the K9, the agency said that the officer found McCord in short order, although he refused to answer commands. The K9 took McCord down prior to his arrest, leading to his brief hospitalization "for the K9 apprehension."
McCord was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Burglary in the 1st Degree, Interfering with a Peace Officer and Criminal Trespass.