Oregon nights: Man shoots at motorist, steals ‘Ricky Bobby’ racing suit

If you ain’t first, you’re last. An Oregon man who allegedly shot at a motorist, eluded police and stole a Ricky Bobby “Talladega Nights” racing suit after breaking into a home came in last.

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Alexis Ibarra Gomez, 25, was charged with attempted assault, attempting to elude a police officer, failure to perform the duties of a driver, burglary -- plus four charges for previous arrests: failure to appear for unlawful use of a weapon, failure to appear after pointing a gun at another person, failure to appear for menacing and unlawful use of a vehicle, according to a news release from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

The wild spree occurred Tuesday night, The Oregonian reported.

Deputies said the incident began at about 6 p.m. PDT when a driver reported a black GMC pickup driving erratically and running through stop signs, the newspaper reported. When the witness called 911 and attempted to get the license number of the truck, Gomez allegedly stopped his vehicle in the road, pointed a handgun out of the driver’s window and fired multiple shots, the sheriff’s office said in its release.

According to the sheriff’s office, the witness ducked in his vehicle to avoid the gunshots and then returned fire with a rifle.

Deputies said Gomez drove away in the pickup, which had been reported stolen out of Salem, KPTV reported. Authorities spotted Gomez driving north into the oncoming lane of traffic, the television station reported.

Officers from the Oregon City Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle, but Gomez failed to stop and authorities continued to pursue him, according to KOIN-TV.

Officers found the truck, which had crashed into a detached garage, The Oregonian reported. Authorities said Gomez broke into a nearby home, which was unoccupied, the newspaper reported. However, the homeowner contacted police when the home’s alarm system was activated and gave police updates on Gomez’s movements, the sheriff’s office said. A SWAT team moved into the area.

“Apparently, one of the neighbors saw the gentleman breaking into the house, they went in and the gentleman was acting like he was unconscious,” Bruce Riggs, a neighbor, told KOIN.

While inside, Gomez found the “Talladega Nights” costume, changed into it and came out of the house with a bicycle, the sheriff’s office said. When he saw SWAT officers, Gomez hit the ground and was arrested without incident.

A suitcase found in the home had been hastily filled with jewelry and other items, the sheriff’s office said.

“It’s very different around this neighborhood because you usually don’t have this type of activity,” Riggs told KOIN.

Gomez was taken to Willamette Falls Hospital for evaluation, then to the Clackamas County Jail, KPTV reported. Bail was set at $342,500, according to the sheriff’s office.

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