The getaway car was easy to spot, Oregon cops say. It had a sofa on top

Deputies responding to an armed robbery Tuesday morning at an Oregon hardware store didn’t have to go far to find the getaway car.

It was the dark-colored Mazda CX-9 with a black sofa strapped on top, Clackamas County sheriff’s officials wrote in a news release.

Deputies spotted the car near the Ace Hardware in Happy Valley, then gave chase when the driver refused to pull over, the release says.

They pursued the car, still carrying the sofa, north on Interstate 205 into Vancouver, Oregon, officials wrote. The driver finally stopped the car and dashed away on foot, but was quickly caught.

Deputies arrested Joseph Tyler Johnson, 34, of Milwaukie, the release says. They found a pistol near the stopped Mazda CX-9 and discovered the car itself had been reported stolen.

Johnson faces charges including robbery, unlawful use of a weapon, attempt to elude, reckless driving and reckless endangering, sheriff’s officials wrote.

The vehicle and sofa, labeled “of uncertain provenance” by deputies, were towed from the scene.

This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 1:32 PM with the headline "The getaway car was easy to spot, Oregon cops say. It had a sofa on top."