License plate reader sparks Interstate chase in Umatilla, ends with arrest in Washington
By Griffin Beach on Friday, June 5th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
UMATILLA – A Umatilla man well known to law enforcement was arrested Wednesday after leading police in a chase in a vehicle that was reported stolen.
Dylan Ostrom, 29, of Umatilla, was taken into custody in Washington after crashing a stolen truck and attempting to flee in a passing motorist’s vehicle.
The incident began when a Umatilla Police officer’s dashcam license plate reader flagged a Dodge Ram parked at the Circle K on 6th Street. The vehicle had been reported stolen to the Hermiston Police Department on Monday.
When Ostrom noticed the police vehicle he fled the area at a high rate of speed. The chase crossed into Washington over the Umatilla Bridge and Ostrom exited Interstate 82 near Plymouth.
Police said Ostrom crashed through a fence and into a field before abandoning the truck and fleeing on foot. He then ran back onto the interstate, where he tried to stop passing traffic and climbed through the passenger-side window of an uninvolved motorist’s vehicle.
A Umatilla Police officer used their patrol car to block the vehicle from driving away. Officers then removed Ostrom from the vehicle and took him into custody.
The Washington State Patrol and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office assisted, and Ostrom was booked into the Benton County Jail on charges stemming from the Washington investigation.
Umatilla Police have referred the Oregon portion of the case to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office for review on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and attempting to elude police.
Following the arrest, Umatilla Police thanked the Washington agencies for their assistance. The department also expressed gratitude for Senate Bill 1516, a recently enacted law regulating public safety measures, including automated license plate readers.
“The understanding by elected officials of the importance of license plate readers and their importance in solving crimes and getting the bad guys off our streets and out of our communities,” the department said in a statement.
