Dash cam shows Silverton man involved in deadly high-speed chase, shootout gets 17 years in prison

A Silverton man was sentenced Thursday to 17 years and one month in prison for instigating a shootout with police and leading officers on a high-speed chase through Keizer and into Salem that left one woman dead.

Sean K. Beck, 49, was sentenced by Marion County Judge Channing Bennett after he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, five counts of unlawful use of a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm by a felon and driving under the influence.

The charges stemmed from a series of crimes on July 28, 2021, when Keizer Police received a report from a woman that Beck had stolen her silver Nissan Xterra and three guns.

Later that same day, a caller reported the stolen Xterra was parked behind a business off River Road in Keizer. They reported a man, later identified as Beck, was standing near the SUV with a pistol on his hip.

When police responded, Beck was back inside the vehicle and refused to comply with officers' orders to surrender.

Police said Beck opened fire in the direction of police, who then returned fire.

"Despite being shot several times, Beck then drove away from the scene and eluded police officers who were following him with lights and sirens," investigators said.

As the chase continued down River Road, Beck sped through a red light and ran over a pedestrian, Becky Dietzel, 64, of Salem.

Beck did not stop after striking Dietzel and continued to flee police, swerving into oncoming lanes, until a Salem police officer executed a pit maneuver and stopped the SUV by force.

After a 20-minute standoff, Beck was taken into custody and hospitalized for gunshot wounds.

A medical blood draw at the hospital showed he had a blood-alcohol content of .35% — more than four times the legal limit. The three stolen guns were found in the stolen SUV.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Matthew Kemmy and Katharine Semple.

Prosecutors said Beck has an extensive criminal history that includes criminal convictions in four states, as well as federal convictions for bank robbery.

Initially facing 18 charges, including attempted murder, manslaughter, multiple counts of theft and DUI, Beck pleaded guilty to 10 of the charges on June 26.

During the sentencing Thursday, Judge Bennett also found substantial and compelling reasons to deny Beck earned time or any programming that could shorten his sentence.