Reckless pursuit on Delta Highway ends in I-5 crash, arrest

A 34-year-old Eugene man was jailed after a reckless pursuit that began on Delta Highway and ended with a crash, a freeway sprint and motorists braking hard to avoid striking him on Interstate 5.

Deputies said the incident started around 6:30 a.m. Monday when a deputy spotted Jeffrey McGee driving recklessly in Eugene. When the deputy tried to pull him over, McGee took off, leading law enforcement toward I-5 and turning a routine stop into a fast-moving public-safety hazard along one of the region’s busiest corridors.

The chase escalated as McGee exited onto the interstate. Investigators say he lost control, crashed into another vehicle and then bailed out on foot, running across all lanes of I-5. Drivers had to stop to avoid hitting him, adding a second layer of danger to the collision scene and leaving commuters with a sudden, unavoidable freeway backup during the morning rush.

McGee was eventually caught and lodged in jail on a long list of charges: attempting to elude in a vehicle, attempting to elude on foot, assault, hit and run, reckless driving, driving under the influence, resisting arrest and endangering another person. The allegations paint the episode as more than a traffic violation, with deputies describing a sequence of choices that put other motorists directly in harm’s way from Delta Highway to the interstate crossing.

For Eugene-area drivers, the route mattered as much as the arrest. Delta Highway feeds directly into I-5, and once McGee’s car reached that high-speed traffic mix, the risk spread quickly from one reckless driver to everyone sharing the freeway that morning.