Suspect in ride share highjacking arrested in Vida

VIDA: An incident that started at a mental health clinic in Bend wound its way across the Santiam Pass before ending with a car crash in Vida last Friday.

During the course of the investigation, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office determined the suspect, 21-year-old Joshua Davis Buck, was at the Deschutes County Stabilization Center when he requested a ride share service to Sisters. Once there Buck asked to be dropped off in the vicinity of the Sisters Inn and Suites. When the vehicle came to a stop, the driver, Stanley Collins, was assaulted and dragged out of the vehicle.

According to police, Buck then stole the ride share vehicle and headed out of town, traveling west on Highway 20 towards the Santiam Pass. Deputies were able to determine the location of the stolen vehicle as it continued westbound on Highway 126.

Deschutes County 911 Dispatch notified law enforcement agencies on the other side of the mountain to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle.

Shortly after 3 a.m. a caller reported a car wreck near Milepost 34 of the McKenzie Hwy. A male on foot was suspected of being involved in the car-jacking. He reportedly tried to jump into a pickup before attempting to grab the window of another vehicle that might have hit Buck as that driver avoided him.

At about 4 a.m., deputies with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Springfield Police Department responded to the reported multi-vehicle injury crash near Vida. Their investigation determined Buck had crashed the vehicle he had stolen in Sisters, and was actively attempting to steal a second vehicle to continue his escape.

Buck was arrested and transported to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment of his injuries before he was transported back to the Deschutes County Jail where he faces charges that include first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, and unauthorized use of a vehicle, sheriff’s officials said.