Man accused in car chase expected to be in court Tuesday

A man accused of leading police on a car chase on Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and then crashing into another vehicle is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

Daniel J. Edstrom, 26, was scheduled to make a first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of attempting to elude and vehicular assault stemming from the Sunday pursuit. Court records indicate that the prosecution requested the one-day delay for that court appearance.

Vancouver police attempted to stop a 1999 Toyota Corolla at about 9:20 a.m. in a parking lot in the 1400 block of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard for not having a front license plate, Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. But the driver, identified as Edstrom, refused to stop and fled.

Edstrom headed north on Northeast 143rd Court and then west on Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard, Kapp said. His vehicle allegedly reached speeds in excess of 90 mph in a 40-mph zone, drove into oncoming lanes of traffic to pass vehicles and ran red lights, according to a probable cause affidavit. Several other drivers avoided colliding with Edstrom’s vehicle, police said.

Edstrom then tried to negotiate a blind corner, but he lost control of the vehicle near Northeast 182nd Avenue. The Corolla then struck a guardrail, spun around in the oncoming lane and collided with a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta that had four occupants, Kapp said.

No one in the Jetta was injured. Edstrom and a passenger in his vehicle, Lauren Marshall, were taken to a local hospital, Kapp said. Marshall sustained a fracture to her left eye socket and sinus, according to court documents.

Police said Edstrom later admitted to trying to “get away” because he didn’t want to get in trouble for having needles inside his vehicle. He also apparently didn’t have a valid driver’s license, court records said.

Court records show that Judge Bernard Veljacic set Edstrom’s bail at $30,000.