Roseburg father, son accused of shooting up truck that crashed into their front yard
Sheriff’s deputies in Douglas County arrested a father and his teenage son after they say the pair opened fire on a pickup truck that had accidentally crashed into the family’s front yard in Roseburg.
Armed with a .22-caliber pistol and a .40-caliber Glock, Mike and Dillen Sanderson unloaded at least 10 rounds at the brown Chevy as it sped away from their home early Wednesday, according to cops and court records.
“The guy emptied a clip at me!” the distraught driver, Adam Smith, 29, later told a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy, a probable cause affidavit shows.
The wild scene began around 5:40 a.m. when Smith, who claimed to be exhausted from working two jobs, fell asleep behind the wheel of his pickup and rolled into the Sanderson front yard, knocking over a portion of a fence, court records show.
The disturbance was enough to stir Mike Sanderson, 50, from his living room couch, where he was watching television. When Sanderson saw a truck in his front yard, he told authorities, he grabbed his gun, a .22-caliber pistol, and rushed to the front porch.
Outside, the armed homeowner trained his weapon at Smith and yelled at him to cut the engine, according to the affidavit. The sight of a gun pointed at Smith was enough to spook the disoriented driver, who started screaming and stepped on the gas.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll fix your fence,” Smith said he tried to tell Sanderson, who responded by shooting twice at Smith’s truck tires, according to court documents.
Little did either man know that all of the commotion outside had woken up Mike Sanderson’s 18-year-old son Dillen, who had been fast asleep in his room. Dillen Sanderson told authorities he found the household’s .40-caliber Glock and bolted outside, the affidavit shows.
The teen then started shooting wildly at Smith and his pickup as it sped off, striking the rear window and several other places on the vehicle, records show. Mike Sanderson told deputies that his son fired approximately eight shots.
At least one of the bullets grazed Smith’s head, the driver told officials.
After the shooting, Mike Sanderson called 911. He and his son were arrested that evening and lodged in the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Mike Sanderson also faces a menacing allegation in relation to the incident.