A 36-year-old man who was wanted in connection with a recent kidnapping, torture, and attempted murder case in Oregon, died on Tuesday evening after a standoff with police. The man, Benjamin Foster, was found in a crawl space under a home and refused to surrender to officers of the Grants Pass Police Department and other departments. A SWAT and a Crisis Negotiation team were on the scene and after several hours of negotiation, Foster was placed into custody following a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Foster was a convicted felon and had a history of violent crimes. In 2019, he held his then-girlfriend captive inside her Las Vegas apartment for two weeks and was charged with several felonies, including assault and battery. However, he struck a deal with Clark County prosecutors to plead guilty to felony and misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in a Nevada prison. Despite spending 729 days in jail awaiting trial, he served less than 200 additional days in state custody.
Last week, Foster was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault after a victim was found in Grants Pass, Oregon. The victim was hospitalized in critical condition. The Grants Pass Police Department released a photo of Foster and issued a community warning, asking the public to pay particular attention to his facial structure and eyes, as those features were difficult to change.
Foster was using dating apps to evade police and potentially find new victims. Prior to the arrest, police had conducted a raid on a family property in Wolf Creek, Oregon, and were aware of Foster’s dangerous nature. After being placed into custody, Foster was transported to the hospital in critical condition and later died. No officers were injured in the arrest.
The Grants Pass Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office are scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday to provide further details about the incident. The death of Foster marks the end of a lengthy manhunt that had put the community on high alert. The police have warned that Foster was “extremely dangerous” and his death will bring relief to the residents of Grants Pass, Oregon.
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