He sped away from police – right off the end of a pier
Oregon police investigating reports of a trespasser at the Astoria riverfront Wednesday tried to arrest Timothy Erofeeff. But he sped away in his Ford F-150.
Straight off a pier into the Columbia River, according to the Astoria Police Department. Rescuers eventually fished Erofeeff, 27, of Scotts Mills, Ore., from the chilly waters, but his pickup truck remains in the river for the time being.
After being treated at a hospital for hypothermia, Erofeeff was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass, violating parole, attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and escape, police reported.
“He just took off straight toward the pier,” J.D. Moreland, 50, of Astoria, told The Oregonian. Moreland captured the abortive escape on video.
“He just started driving on that pier as fast as he could,” Moreland told the newspaper.
Astoria Police say a Scotts Mills man was arrested after driving his pickup off the North Tongue Point Pier in Astoria this AM. John David Moreland sent us this wild video of it happening. pic.twitter.com/L9Ih4G5eVJ
— John Hendricks (@JohnKPTV) December 28, 2017
Officers were investigating reports that someone had trespassed on boats on the riverfront when they encountered Erofeeff in his pickup truck at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Astoria police said. The officers contacted Erofeeff’s parole officer, who told them to arrest him. But when officers approached his truck, Erofeeff took off.
Police gave chase – until Erofeeff pulled onto the pier a short distance away. The officers stopped but Erofeeff kept going, right off the end into the Columbia River, Astoria police reported. Erofeeff climbed out of the truck and swam away, but then returned to the pier, which was too high above the water for officers to reach him.
“They talked to him and told him not to panic and called him back in,” Moreland told The Oregonian.
Officers threw a life vest and flotation disk to Erofeeff until employees from a nearby shipyard could rescue him using a skiff, police reported. A fishiing boat also helped pull him from the water. Police are working with the Coast Guard on removing the sunken pickup truck from the river.
This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "He sped away from police – right off the end of a pier."