Background: The Walgreens on River Road North in Keizer, Oregon (Google Maps). Inset: Daniel Ray Myers (Salem Police Department).
An Oregon man faces allegations of stabbing a woman who resisted his assault, subsequently taking her to a Walgreens under the pretense that she would purchase supplies for her injuries.
The Salem Police Department announced the arrest of 62-year-old Daniel Ray Myers on charges of attempted second-degree murder, among other felonies. Following the incident that sparked a multistate manhunt, he had been evading authorities for several days.
The events unfolded around 9 p.m. on February 10, when Myers and the woman, engaged in making online food deliveries, found themselves in his vehicle. Myers allegedly drove her to a remote area in West Salem, where he attempted a sexual assault. When she fought back, he responded by stabbing her repeatedly.
Despite her attempts to escape, Myers kept her confined in the vehicle, as stated by the police. He eventually agreed to let her enter a nearby Walgreens in Keizer after she persuaded him that she needed first aid supplies. Once inside, the woman alerted store employees who promptly contacted the authorities.
Police arrived and transported the injured woman to a local hospital, but by then, Myers had fled in a silver Honda Civic, prompting an appeal to the public for assistance in locating him.
Two days following the attack, investigators received information that Myers’ vehicle was seen heading south toward Bakersfield, California, approximately 800 miles from Salem. With assistance from the California Highway Patrol, officers successfully apprehended him.
The Salem Police Department said that Myers would be extradited back to Oregon to face the charges against him.
Salem Police Sgt. Jonathan Hardy said the victim’s injuries were not life-threatening and that she was released from the hospital, Portland Fox affiliate KPTV reported.
“It appears she did everything that she should have done,” Hardy said. “When her life was threatened, when her safety was threatened, she fought back but then was also able to switch gears to negotiate when it was time to negotiate and likely use her relationship with the suspect and get him to a point where she could get out of the car.”
