Editor's note: This story was updated with new details at 4:28 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30.
The suspect in a homicide investigation out of Depoe Bay was stopped Thursday on Highway 20 about 5 miles west of Philomath, according to law enforcement officials.
The incident began at 10:17 a.m. when deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of gunshots from the Four Winds Inn in Depoe Bay. Upon arrival, law enforcement learned that the suspect, 29-year-old Brennon Michael Neal, of Depoe Bay, had fled the scene in a dark, grey-colored sedan and an alert was distributed to surrounding agencies.
LCSO deputies reported that the motel’s owner, Sarabjit Singh, 44, of Depoe Bay, was deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
At about 11:16 a.m., Toledo Police Sgt. Aaron Pitcher reported that he had located the suspect traveling east on Highway 20. Several units arrived to assist and a traffic stop was attempted, LCSO reported, but the vehicle fled from law enforcement.
“The vehicle traveled with varying speed for approximately 35 miles before being struck by spike strips,” LCSO said in a news release. “The vehicle traveled for several miles on damaged tires.”
Oregon State Police assisted with a vehicle redirect maneuver to help end the pursuit.
Philomath Chief of Police Dave Gurski said his department received word of the situation at around 11:45 a.m. while the chase was ongoing.
“Basically, they were looking for assistance from Benton County Sheriff’s Office and neighboring agencies to help set up spike strips and control traffic out on Highway 20,” Gurski said. “From our perspective, we wanted to make sure that we could do everything we could to get that stopped and law enforcement in general wanted to get that stopped before it got into more populated areas.”
Gurski said from what details he had learned, the vehicle came to a stop in the Lilly Hill vicinity just west of Priest Road.
Neal was the sole occupant of the vehicle and taken into custody without incident, LCSO said, adding that the case remains under investigation.
The incident prompted the Philomath School District to implement safety protocols at Blodgett Elementary School after receiving a notification from law enforcement about what was transpiring. Eddyville Charter School was also notified and both campuses went to “secure” mode — which means all individuals are safely inside the school with outside doors closed and locked.
Susan Halliday, superintendent of schools, contacted Philomath Police to determine if schools in Philomath should consider the same action but she was informed that the suspect had been apprehended. Just a few minutes before noon, the potential threat was considered over.
Philomath Elementary actually did secure its campus for a few minutes before receiving information that the suspect had been stopped.
“Due to the tight link between Blodgett and Philomath Elementary schools, PES was contacted by Blodgett staff immediately,” Halliday wrote in a letter to parents. “Staff were instructed that they could share with students that there was police activity on Highway 20 west of Philomath as the reason for the safety action. No specific details were provided as confirmation was almost immediate that there was no direct threat.”
