BMW 335i takes out fire hydrant in alleged DUI and attempt to elude case in TD

Nathan Pope and Ron Mimson with The Dalles Public Works department were resetting the fire hydrant this afternoon at the corner of Liberty and Fourth streets in The Dalles after a BMW allegedly took it out on Monday night.

Damage to BMW

By Tom Peterson

A 23-year-old man was cited and released for drunken driving after allegedly eluding officers in a chase that saw a BMW hit a fire hydrant and then a fence at the corner of Liberty and Fourth streets in The Dalles on Monday, March 7.

Chuck Langley said he was attempting to go to sleep at about 9 p.m. when he heard the collision outside his home at the Windrider Inn at 200 W. Fourth Street.

Chuck Langley next to the fence that was hit by a BMW on Monday, March 7.

The loud noise startled him out of bed and he put his pants on and went outside to see what had happened. He found a fire hydrant that had been torn off at its base and a hole in his fence.

“I saw two police officers head up the street,” he said.

Officers drove south on Liberty and then turned west on Sixth street. 

Police cited and released Jane E. Aguirre Olmos, 23, for DUII, felony elude, hit and run, driving while suspended, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment, according to The Dalles Police log. There was a passenger in the vehicle.

The 2009 BMW 335i that was driven during the chase remained parked on west Sixth Street this afternoon, March 8. It had damage to the front right quarter panel, and it appears the fire hydrant tore a hole and caved in the passenger rear side of the car.   

Nathan Pope and Ron Mimson with The Dalles Public Works department were resetting the fire hydrant this afternoon as well. 

Pope said the hydrant had a break-away, making it easier to repair. 

Langley also noted that a large geyser did not emerge after the hydrant was hit the night before. He said an automatic shutoff below the hydrant prevented it from doing so.