EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Police say a high-speed chase that involved two stolen vehicles whipsawed between Eugene and Springfield, Ore., before a determined police dog chased a fleeing man into the Willamette River and bit him on the rear.

The chase began Wednesday when a man fled from Eugene police in a stolen car. Police say the man abandoned that car, ran across a golf course and stole a different vehicle. Police backed off the chase but the second stolen car was soon seen in Springfield, then Eugene, then back in Springfield, finally hitting a boulder.

The driver fled on foot into the river but a Springfield police dog was right behind him.

Police say 34-year-old Jeremy Carlson of Eugene was booked into jail. The Register-Guard reports that he had three prior arrest warrants on car theft and identity theft charges. Springfield police Sgt. Mike McCarthy says the man is also a suspect in a Tuesday hit-and-run.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com

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