Man in stolen ‘Talladega Nights’ costume arrested after crime spree, Oregon police say

A 25-year-old man who led police on a chase before breaking into a house emerged from a standoff wearing a stolen Ricky Bobby costume, authorities in Oregon said.

Alexis Ibarra Gomez, 25, was arrested Tuesday night after coming out of the house in the Beaver Lake area, according to a news release from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

The events leading to his arrest began just after 6 p.m., when police received a report from a witness about a black GMC pickup driving erratically and running stop signs.

The witness drove after the GMC pickup, attempting to read the license plate of the vehicle to police. Within minutes, the driver of the pickup — later identified as Gomez — stopped his vehicle, pointed a handgun out of his window, and shot toward the witness, the release said.

The witness ducked to avoid the gunfire and then shot back with a rifle. No one was injured during the exchange, the release said.

Gomez then fled in the pickup. Police later found that the vehicle had been stolen from Salem, and that there was also a woman in the truck, the release said.

Oregon City police then spotted Gomez driving on state Route 213 into oncoming traffic. They attempted to stop him, but were unable to, and continued to pursue Gomez into a residential neighborhood.

At around 6:18 p.m., police found the GMC crashed into a detached garage of a home and received word from a witness that Gomez had fled the vehicle and ran into the woods, the release said.

Police found a woman walking away from the site of the crash, interviewed her, and later released her.

Gomez, meanwhile, broke into a nearby home, according to the news release.

The homeowner wasn’t there at the time, but notified police that Gomez had tripped the home’s alarm system and gave police updates on his actions, the release said.

By this time, SWAT team members, several police units and a crisis negotiation team had responded at the scene. The county SWAT team surrounded the house and could see Gomez using a flashlight to navigate around the house, the release said.

The standoff ended at 9 p.m., about three hours after the initial 911 call/, when Gomez emerged from the house and peacefully surrendered.

Gomez was wearing a costume of the character Ricky Bobby’s racing suit from the movie “Talladega Nights,” which he had stolen from the house. He also had other clothing items and filled a suitcase with jewelry and other items,, the release said.

Gomez was then taken to a hospital for evaluation and then to Clackamas County Jail, where he was booked on multiple outstanding warrants and charges, including attempted assault, attempting to elude a police officer and burglary, according to the news release.