PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was arrested Wednesday evening after running from police and jumping into the Columbia River, according to authorities.
The Vancouver Police Department responded to a caller around 6:30 p.m. reporting a mysterious U-Haul and pick-up truck parked outside their home off SE Riverside Drive. The caller also said two men were knocking on doors asking for gasoline.
Once officers arrived, they say one of the men gave them a fake name before he took off. According to VPD, in a desperate attempt to escape officers, the man, later identified as 44-year-old Joshua Rouse, jumped off a 30-foot embankment, crossed the railroad tracks and leaped into the Columbia River.
Officers managed to use a privately owned boat to get closer to Rouse, while they waited for emergency marine units to arrive. Police were concerned of the river’s cool temperatures and swift current.
When VPD offered Rouse a life jacket and tried to get him on board, they said he refused and swam further away. Rouse finally agreed to surrender after an hour of negotiations.
Once Rouse boarded a rescue boat, police said they took him to a nearby boat dock where he was checked out by medics. He was then taken to Clark County Jail for criminal impersonation I.
The investigation into the U-Haul involved in the original call is ongoing as VPD says they’re waiting on a search warrant.