Hillsboro Man Arrested For Drunk Driving: Sheriff

HILLSBORO, OR — Washington County Sheriff's officials say Luis Angel Alcazar-Tapia was drunk when he crashed his Chevy Camaro two times and led deputies on a foot chase through dense forest before he was arrested outside Hillsboro early Thursday. Alcazar-Tapia just last week agreed to participate in a diversion program to dismiss a previous drunk driving citation he received Sept. 10, which was also his 21st birthday.

It's not yet clear how Thursday's arrest will affect that agreement.

Alcazar-Tapia, 21, of Hillsboro, is being held at Washington County Jail. He is charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII), reckless endangering, second-degree criminal mischief, hit and run, resisting arrest, and driving while criminally suspended.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office dispatched its deputies just after 5:45 a.m. Nov. 1 after receiving reports of a car crash at the intersection of Southwest Bald Peak Road and Southwest Laurelwood Road in rural Washington County. As they arrived at the scene of the crash, they saw Alcazar-Tapia's Camaro leaving the area with three people chasing after it down the road.

Already significantly damaged from hitting a road sign, the Camaro didn't make it very far before crashing again into a guard rail and then a ditch. After the second crash, Alcazar-Tapia bailed and ran into the woods, officials said.

The three people Alcazar-Tapia left behind were reportedly his passengers at the time of the first crash. Two of them, a 14- and 15-year-old, were picked up by deputies. The third person was not found.

Neither of the two teens were injured in the crash, officials said.

While deputies checked in with the teens, Beaverton police officer Brian Gaunt and his K9 partner Ike began tracking Alcazar-Tapia through the forest. After 30 minutes of searching, Ike found his quarry hiding under a tree.

Alcazar-Tapia was apparently uninjured in the two crashes but did require some medical attention for a bite Ike gave him, officials said.

After he was located, Alcazar-Tapia reportedly maintained his innocence, telling deputies he was just sleeping under the tree and had no idea how his Camaro ended up wrecked just down the road.

Alcazar-Tapia on April 1 was mentioned in a Facebook post made by Hillsboro car dealer Oregon Automotive, located on Tualatin Valley Highway. In the post, the dealership thanked Alcazar-Tapia for recently purchasing his 2011 Camaro convertible.

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Images via Washington County Sheriff's Office