Man Arrested for Donut Van Theft in Portland, Drops Pastry

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Cornelius Swart, GoLocalPDX Director of Content

A man was arrested pastry-handed after stealing a donut truck Tuesday morning, according to Portland police.

The suspect, 34-year-old Peter Leon Johansen, was pulled over by police in the stolen truck. He put his hands out of the window to submit to arrest and dropped a pastry, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said.

At around 2:00 a.m., an officer responded to the 1100 block of Southwest 5th Avenue on the report of a stolen delivery vehicle.

The 2004 Chevy Astro Van owned by Donut Land, located in Tualatin, had been stolen in the course of its deliveries.

While a officer was taking the initial report, another officer spotted the van on Powell Boulevard near Southeast 21st Avenue. The van did not yield to police prompts and the officer pursued the vehicle until it pulled over at Southeast 59th Avenue and Mall Street, police said.

The officer then commanded Johansen to put both his hands out of the window of the van. Johanasen did so and a pastry fell from his hand, Simpson said.

Johanasen was charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, theft and attempt to elude.

The van was not damaged, but the donuts “were all over the inside of the van,” Simpson said.