A California man who allegedly tried to run down a Hood River County Sheriff Deputy wants to take his case before a jury.

James Thomas Ruiz, 39, entered a not guilty plea in Circuit Court last week to a host of charges. His three-day trial is set for Oct. 9-11 with a Sept. 6 status check to determine if the hearing is still a go.

Ruiz faces penalties tied to 12 separate charges, with the most serious including: second and third-degree Assault, first-degree Attempted Assault, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, felony Attempt to Elude, DUII, Resisting Arrest, and Assaulting a Public Safety Officer.

Ruiz was taken into custody on March 28 following a high-speed pursuit along Interstate 84. Multnomah County Deputies had allegedly attempted to pull him over for speeding near Wood Village.

According to reports, Ruiz was driving aggressively enough at 110 miles per hour that law enforcement officials considered him a danger to other motorists. He was also allegedly raising his arm through the open sunroof of the 1994 red Saturn to give the finger to the two deputies on his tail.

When Ruiz entered the Gorge, a passing trucker reported seeing a gun inside the vehicle, which had been reported as stolen.

Hood River Deputies Pete Hughes and Matt English set out spike strips at the eastbound Wyeth exit. Hughes was forced to dive over the guardrail when Ruiz appeared to be headed straight toward the roadway shoulder where he was standing.

The suspect then allegedly lost control of the Saturn while attempting to avoid the sharp tacks and clipped another car. He hit the center barrier of I-84 before careening another 500 feet and coming to a stop.

According to a video clip and witness statements, Ruiz and a female passenger then jumped out of the wrecked car. He is portrayed on camera as taunting four deputies who cautiously approached him. Ruiz is shown putting his hand into the waistband of his pants, as if reaching for a gun. He then turned while walking backwards and ran for the nearby forest.

For several hours English and other officers scrambled through heavy underbrush in the rugged terrain on the hunt for Ruiz. Hughes helped subdue the female, Pracilla Diana Velasquez, 19, who was jailed in Portland on multiple charges.

Hughes also searched the wrecked car, allegedly recovering drug paraphernalia and razor blades turned into makeshift knives — but no gun was found. Law enforcement officials reportedly believe Ruiz might have ditched the weapon in the forest.