Road rage incident leads to arrest near Sisters

Last updated 3/18/2019 at Noon

A 31-year-old Bend man was taken into custody during a high-risk traffic stop after he allegedly fired shots at another vehicle in an episode Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office personnel characterize as a road rage incident on Sunday afternoon.

The sheriff’s office reports that a driver called in at about 6:55 p.m. to report that she was being tailgated by a large white Suburban, and that the vehicle had almost hit her car. At the time of the call, the suspect vehicle was following the reporting person.

A short time later, the report person said that the Suburban had passed them, and fired several shots at their vehicle as they passed. Nobody in the reporting person’s car was struck by gunfire. The reporting person advised they were still following the suspect. The reporting person then said that the suspect had turned onto Central Avenue east of Sisters. The reporting person parked near the intersection of Central Avenue and Highway 20 to await contact from sheriff’s office personnel.

At approximately 7:13 p.m., a deputy with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office spotted the suspect vehicle parked in the middle of Fryrear Road near Cascade Estates Drive.

That deputy requested additional units, and law enforcement officers initiated a high-risk vehicle stop.

The suspect, Joseph Wade Tafte, 31, of Bend, was eventually taken into custody.

The suspect was transported to St. Charles Medical Center for evaluation, and then to the Deschutes County Jail and lodged on multiple charges, including DUII; reckless driving; reckless endangerment; criminal mischief ; hit and run (property damage); unlawful use of a weapon; menacing; resisting arrest; and interfering with a police officer.

There were no injuries to the victim, suspect, or law enforcement officers during this incident. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Bend Police Department, Redmond Police Department, Oregon State Police, and the Cloverdale Fire District. The investigation is ongoing.