June 29, 2026 9:40 a.m.  

Sutherlin Police jailed a man following an overnight chase early Sunday morning.

Chief of Police Troy Mills said at approximately 2:30 a.m. an officer observed an SUV traveling down the center of the 200 block of South State Street headed towards the officer’s fully marked patrol vehicle. Mills said the officer was forced to move out of the vehicle’s path to avoid a collision before initiating a traffic stop.

The driver, later identified as 21-year-old Levi Zuniga, allegedly failed to stop and attempted to elude police while committing numerous traffic violations throughout the pursuit. Mills said during the incident, Zuniga drove recklessly, placing other motorists and the public at significant risk.

An investigation also revealed that Zuniga’s vehicle had struck a parked vehicle and the driver had failed to stop and perform the duties required following a property damage crash. Zuniga stopped his vehicle and allegedly ran on foot in the 100 block of Everett Street near Strong Avenue. He was eventually caught by officers, taken into custody, and transported to corrections.

Zuniga was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving, recklessly endangering another person, and failure to perform the duties of a driver with property damage. Zuniga was detained without bail. He was cited for driving while suspended or revoked, and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control device.

Mills said that impaired driving continues to be one of the leading causes of serious traffic crashes and fatalities. Anyone who observes a suspected impaired driver I encouraged to call 911.