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Police pursuit halts I-5 traffic GOLD HILL - Interstate 5 was closed briefly Tuesday after a high-speed chase from Douglas County ended near here. The chase started in Roseburg at about 11:15 a.m. when a man in a car raced away from a location where Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team officers were looking for methamphetamine. The suspect's car was listed on a search warrant officers had obtained in connection with the meth investigation. Roseburg police officers began the chase, then handed off to Douglas County sheriff's deputies. By 11:30 a.m., Oregon State Police picked up the pursuit, which continued for more than 80 miles on I-5 at speeds up to 85 mph. The suspect may have thrown meth lab equipment from the car during the chase, said OSP Lt. Dan Durbin. He said items were found on the freeway. State troopers and sheriff's deputies from Douglas, Josephine and Jackson counties tried several times to flatten the car's tires with spike strips. The suspect finally stopped at I-5 milepost 43, near the Rock Point interchange, at about 12:40 p.m. with three flat tires. As troopers tried to get the suspect - Anthony Joseph Silvestri, 35, no known address - out of the car, he held a knife to his own throat. State police hostage negotiators Detective Ryan Fields and Sgt. Tonya Henderson tried to get Silvestri to put down the weapon. After a few minutes he left the car without making any further threats. I-5 traffic was stopped in both directions for about 20 minutes during police negotiations. Oregon Department of Transportation officials blocked freeway access at Old Stage Road and Foley Lane. ODOT officials made the decision to halt traffic instead of reroute it because they didn't expect the standoff to last long, said John Vial, ODOT district manager. State police arrested Silvestri and issued him citations to appear in court for attempting to elude police in a vehicle - a felony - and reckless driving. He was transported back to Douglas County to be lodged in the county jail. Any further charges would be filed by the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team, said OSP Lt. Kurt Barthel. "Thankfully there weren't any other vehicles involved, and no one was rammed," Barthel said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.