ALOHA, Ore. -- A dangerous wanted fugitive was captured in Aloha Tuesday, after a person saw his photo on kgw.com, spotted the suspect and called 911, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Suspect Vincent Danielson, 31, was chest-deep in Butternut Creek, in a neighborhood near the Aloha Intel campus and Butternut Creek Elementary School, when detectives caught up with him.
Sgt. Bob Ray Ray described him as a "career criminal," who was a "big threat to the public." He said Danielson did not put up a fight when detectives arrested him.
Before Danielson was caught, residents near 201st Street and Kinnaman Road in Aloha were urged to lock their doors and stay inside. Police warned them that Danielson was probably heavily armed.
At one point, the suspect tried to squeeze through a doggie door into a neighborhood home. A woman who lives there told KGW it startled her.
"He was trying to slide it up to get into the door," she recalled.
Police believe Danielson is a prolific burglar who sometimes wears a mask. Earlier that morning, he got inside another Aloha home and was scared off by the homeowner during the burglary, Ray said. That homeowner called 911, which is what initially sparked the manhunt.
Investigators believe Danielson has broken into at least 12 homes in the past two months. He's suspected of stealing at least 15 guns and 6 vehicles, including a pickup truck spotted along SW Miller Hill Road Tuesday morning.
The intense manhunt for Danielson began at around 10 a.m. and lasted nearly 5 hours. Aloha High School and Kinnaman Elementary School were placed in in lockout during the search. That was lifted a couple hours later.
Deputies spotted the truck and realized it was a stolen vehicle. They said the driver also matched the description of the burglar from earlier that morning. Authorities later identified him as Danielson. They said he stole the pickup truck from the Bull Mountain area Monday night.
The deputies followed the pickup at moderate speeds until the driver got out and ran off, along SW Kinnaman Road. They lost sight of him in the area and began searching homes and yards.
Ray said investigators found a backpack full of stolen items on the roof of a home which they think Danielson tossed during his escape. They also found a gun that was ditched in a backyard.
It wasn't until 2:50 p.m. when Danielson was finally captured.
Dan Parquet, who lives in the 20000 block of SW Meadowbrook Drive, had just shown his wife a photo of Danielson in the story on kgw.com. Then, to his surprise, he looked out his window and saw him.
"I happened to be showing my wife the KGW website that showed the picture and I looked up and he walked right by," Parquet recalled. "I could see his face, his beard, and he was carrying a red umbrella."
The couple quickly called 911 and police moved in fast.
"A sheriff’s deputy arrived and saw Mr. Danielson in the backyard of the house and began chasing Mr. Danielson into a wetland area," Ray said. "The sheriff's deputy captured Mr. Danielson as he attempted to wade through Butternut Creek."
Danielson was lodged in the Washington County Jail after his arrest. He faces several charges, including burglary, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft, weapons warrants and ID theft. He is being held on $615,000 bail.
Ray explained that detectives have been investigating Danielson and a string of burglaries since December of last year. He said detectives believe that Danielson would steal a vehicle, use it in crimes, dump it, and then steal another vehicle. He added that Danielson will likely face additional charges as the investigation continues.
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