Accused drive-by shooter arrested after ‘being belligerent’ at bar, short police chase

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Authorities in Vancouver say they’ve arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a drive-by shooting late Sunday night and short police chase in the overnight hours.

Gavin E. Woods Leonard was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail on charges of drive-by shooting, attempt to elude, assault in the third degree, and driving under the influence, according to the Vancouver Police Department on Monday.

Police say officers responded to the Woodspring Suites on Northeast 104th Avenue around 11:45 p.m. Sunday after callers said a man had shot into the building with a gun before driving away in a silver SUV and found evidence of a glass door damaged by gunfire.

No one was injured in the shooting, but police say the suspect, later identified as Woods Leonard, and silver SUV were caught on camera and then learned the vehicle’s license plate information.

As police officers investigated the scene of the drive-by, Vancouver authorities say they received a report about a man “being belligerent” at the Offramp Bar and Grill on Northeast 112th Avenue, and that the man had the same description as the suspect in the drive-by and also had a silver SUV.

When Vancouver officers arrived in the area, they found the silver SUV going north on Northeast 112th Avenue and tried to make a traffic stop. Police say Woods Leonard then tried to drive away and a short chase happened until officers were able to stop the SUV with a precision immobilization technique (PIT) was used and Woods Leonard was taken into police custody, after which he was confirmed to be the suspect in the earlier drive-by shooting.

Police say the silver SUV was seized pending a search warrant and that officers observed a firearm, unspent ammo and shell casings inside of it.

The investigation is ongoing.

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