A 19-year-old woman from Oakridge quickly learned that hiding in plain sight doesn’t always work when police arrived on the scene Friday evening.
Authorities say Lila Martin was pulled over for a minor traffic violation — reportedly running a stop sign — but the situation escalated when officers noticed she had an active warrant for a separate incident.
Instead of stepping out of the vehicle when asked, Martin allegedly locked the doors and refused to leave, hoping that staying put would prevent an arrest.
Officers tried repeatedly to get her to cooperate, using calm commands and explaining the warrant. According to police, Martin responded with loud protests, rolling up the windows, and yelling that they “couldn’t touch her”.
After several minutes of negotiation, officers had to break the driver-side window to safely remove her from the car. She was arrested without incident and transported to the county jail, facing charges related to the original warrant and resisting arrest.
A police spokesperson said:
“Trying to hide in the car doesn’t make the law disappear. Cooperation is always the safer choice.”
Witnesses outside the scene commented on the irony of the attempt:
“She looked so confident sitting there, then suddenly the police are cutting her window. It was unreal.”
