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Washougal man gets 34 years in Oregon motel incident

He led police on chase after being shot by officer

The Columbian
Published: July 7, 2013, 5:00pm

ASTORIA, Ore. — A Washington state man has been sentenced to more than 34 years in prison following an officer-involved shooting at an Astoria, Ore., motel in February 2012.

Yevgeniy Pavlovich Savinskiy, 38, of Washougal was convicted in May of attempted aggravated murder and other charges stemming from the confrontation at the Lamplighter Motel.

Jurors also convicted him of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Prosecutors said he tried to hire a county jail inmate last summer to kill his ex-wife, Olga Savinskiy, and Astoria Police Officer Joe Symonds, and to severely injure Deputy District Attorney Ron Brown.

Brown was the only one of the three targets to speak at Friday’s sentencing. He asked Clatsop County Judge Phil Nelson to “hammer him,” The Daily Astorian newspaper reported.

The Russian-born Savinskiy did not receive the maximum possible sentence, 56 years.

“I just don’t think he cares about other people,” the judge said.

The trouble began in February 2012, when motel workers discovered ammunition for an assault rifle and what they incorrectly thought was a pipe bomb after going to Savinskiy’s room to see if his belongings were inside. He had not been seen in days and his prepaid cash for the room had run out.

Officer Symonds looked at the items and asked motel staff to call if Savinskiy returned, which he did.

Symonds drove back to the motel and was denied entry when he knocked on the door. Symonds’ orders to see Savinskiy’s hands were ignored, and when he pushed the door in, Savinskiy was blocking it. Symonds raised his gun and Savinskiy stepped back, revealing a firearm that was aimed at the officer.

Symonds shot Savinskiy in the wrist. The suspect then jumped into a minivan and led police on a high-speed chase at speeds of more than 120 miles per hour. He was eventually stopped after spike strips blew out two tires.

In asking for a more lenient punishment than what was sought by prosecutors, defense attorney Ben Eder noted that Savinskiy never shot at officers.

Savinskiy did not speak at the sentencing.

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