A man dressed in a “Talladega Nights” Ricky Bobby costume was arrested following an alleged crime spree in Clackamas County, Oregon, on October 26.
No amount of “shaking and baking” could help alleged suspect Alexis Ibarra Gomez evade police.
The alleged chain of events began around 6:00 p.m. on October 26, when police received a call regarding a black GMC pickup truck driving erratically, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Police say the driver of the black GMC, who was later identified as 25-year-old Alexis Ibarra Gomez, “reportedly stopped his vehicle in the roadway, pointed a handgun out the driver’s-side window, and fired multiple shots backwards in the direction of the witness.”
Police say the witness ducked down before returning fire with a rifle. No one was reported injured from the exchange, and the witness is “cooperating fully with authorities,” according to the CCSO.
From there, Gomez, along with a female passenger, allegedly fled the scene in the black GMC, which the CCSO later discovered was reported stolen out of Salem, Oregon. The CCSO says deputies spotted the vehicle headed north on Highway 213 and assisting officers from Oregon City Police Department attempted to pull the suspect over. Gomez allegedly failed to stop for law enforcement, and a chase ensued outside of Oregon City on South Henrici Road, according to KGW.
“At 6:18 p.m., law enforcement located the GMC, which had crashed into a detached garage at a residence in the 16000 block of SE Henrici Rd,” the CCSO said in its release. “A witness told deputies Gomez had fled the vehicle, jumped a fence, and ran eastbound into a wooded area.”
The CCSO says that deputies were able to locate the female passenger walking away from the crash. She was interviewed by authorities and released according to the sheriff’s office.
In addition to the CCSO, multiple departments responded to the area, including Oregon State Police, the Washington County Air Unit, Oregon City Police, and members from the Clackamas County SWAT and Crisis Negotiation units, the CCSO state in its release.
After the crash, Gomez allegedly forced his way into a home in the nearby Beaverlake area, authorities say. “The homeowner was out of the house at the time, but contacted police when the suspect tripped the home’s alarm system,” the CCSO wrote in its release. “The homeowner offered updates on the suspect’s actions via the home’s security system. The homeowner also helpfully provided deputies with a layout of the home to use as needed.”
The homeowner, Paul Wille, spoke to KGW and recounted what he was thinking while watching the break-in remotely.
“That was the weirdest feeling, seeing all this happen in real time remotely — but also feeling incredibly glad that we weren’t present when all that was going on,” Willie told the outlet.
Paul’s wife, Jessica, told the outlet that she was grateful her children were not present.
“I was thinking, the guy they’re looking for, this manhunt is breaking into our house right now. How is this happening?” she added.
Neighbor Bruce Riggs said he received a notification on his phone while the incident was ongoing, according to KOIN.
“We got almost like an Amber Alert where it comes through and all our phones rang at once and it was basically the county telling us there was police business going on in the neighborhood, so we turned on a scanner and started listening,” Riggs said
The CCSO reports that while the suspect was in the residence, he allegedly changed into a “Talladega Nights” Ricky Bobby costume, which he allegedly stole from the home.
Authorities say the Clackamas County SWAT Team surrounded the residence and used air support to keep tabs on the location. SWAT could reportedly see the suspect moving from room to room in the residence with the assistance of a flashlight.
“Fortunately, the standoff ended peacefully when Gomez emerged from the residence with a bicycle,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “Seeing the house was surrounded, he quickly collapsed to the ground as SWAT took him into custody without further incident. It was approximately 9 p.m.”
“Out of anything to choose from in the home, he found my Halloween outfit … the full jumpsuit with the hat,” Wille told KGW. “He takes that and my bicycle with two flat tires and tries to escape. Apparently that didn’t work too well.”
Police allege that Gomez stole other items including clothes and a suitcase found in the home that “had been hastily filled with ransacked jewelry and other items, which authorities believed Mr. Gomez had planned to remove from the residence.“
Gomez faces multiple charges for the alleged three-hour crims spree, including first-degree attempted assault, attempting to elude a police officer, first-degree burglary, and additional charges, according to the CCSO.
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