After allegedly chasing a car containing three women and invading a family’s home in Grants Pass Wednesday, a suspect was subdued by a K-9 with no injury to anyone but the suspect.
Geraldo Lepe Oliva reportedly chased a white Toyota Corolla with three women inside through the city Wednesday evening, according to a news advisory issued Thursday by the Grants Pass Police Department.
Oliva ended the chase by crashing into the Corolla, police said. He then used a car jack to break a window of the Corolla with the women still inside the car. Oliva later stated he believed his wife was in the car, the report said.
Police responded to calls for assistance to the crash just after 6 p.m., on Southwest Greenwood Avenue near Westholm Park. Officers arrived as bystanders confronted Oliva, who walked away from the Corolla and went to a nearby house, knocked on the door, entered the home and shut the door behind him, the report said.
Lt. Jeff Hattersley, public information officer for the Grants Pass Police Department, said bystanders stepped in to assist the victims and officers.
“They saw this guy attacking the car with three frightened women inside, and they intervened. They then pointed out the guy to the officers,” he said.
Soon after Oliva entered the house, a woman with two children fled the home and informed officers she did not know the man who had just entered their home, Hattersley said.
Officers and K-9 Maro found Oliva in a child’s closet, attempting to bark like a dog. Oliva refused to surrender, but K-9 Maro was able to subdue him.
“Apparently there were two other dogs in the residence. As K-9 Maro came through, they moved those other dogs out of the residence,” Hattersley said. “I don’t know if maybe he (the suspect) thought by barking we wouldn’t pay attention to him? The K-9 handler said it was obviously a human trying to bark like a dog and not a real dog.”
Oliva sustained a bite injury from Maro and was taken for medical assistance before being lodged in the Josephine County Jail, Hattersley said.
“Out of this whole incident, that was the only injury to anyone, the K-9 bite. With someone hiding in a closet like that, that’s a really dangerous situation for officers to try to go into close quarters to try to apprehend someone,” he said.
In Josephine County Circuit Court Thursday, Oliva was charged with three felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one felony count of first-degree criminal mischief, and a felony count of first degree burglary, according to court documents.
Oliva was allowed conditional release from the Josephine County Jail Thursday.