Authorities are on the hunt for a man who allegedly tossed four pipe bombs out of his car during a pursuit with police in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday afternoon. The devices did not detonate, police said.
Officers attempted to stop a silver 2002 Honda Civic after its license plate number matched an active warrant for 43-year-old Neal Allen Panschow, Sgt. Pete Simpson of the Portland Police told NBC News.
The driver sped away leading police on a short chase through a residential neighborhood. Officers ended their pursuit after seeing explosives hurled from the car, police said. Nearby roads were closed off and traffic was blocked until the bombs were secured and recovered.
Simpson called the incident “incredibly unusual” noting he had never heard of anything like it in twenty years of police service. “We’ve come across explosive devices in different investigations but having someone throwing them out the window in a pursuit is not one I remember hearing of here,” Simpson said.
Police suspect Panschow was driving the car because it matches the description of vehicles he has allegedly used in previous police chases, Simpson told NBC News. Panschow is wanted in Tillamook County, Oregon for reasons not yet known to Portland police. He is also a suspect in an assault investigation in Lake Oswego, Oregon.