Hundreds of people and vehicles were involved in speed racing events throughout Portland Sunday evening, including multiple street takeovers. Responding officers made numerous arrests and towed vehicles.

On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at about 8:00p.m., Portland Police responded to reports of 400-plus vehicles gathering for speed racing events in the area of Northeast Airport Way and Northeast 122nd Avenue. While there was information about a protest planned, some officers assigned to the protest were diverted to address the speed racing.

While the dangerous and illegal speed racing events have been a problem for years in Portland, especially on Sunday evenings, lately participants and spectators have been more aggressive. There has been an uptick in street takeovers, where participants block traffic to perform stunts. Additionally, officers have noticed a more aggressive response to police, including items thrown at officers. Addressing these crimes has been challenging and resource intensive. With additional resources available, PPB was able to be more effective in addressing the problem. PPB learned that the speed racing events were advertised on social media and invited participants from other states.

Throughout the evening, Portland Police officers made numerous traffic stops and, through enforcement action, prompted participants to move repeatedly. During the event, those involved in the illegal street racing activity briefly took over the top deck of the Fremont Bridge, the Interstate Bridge, Sunset Highway tunnel and multiple intersections including Northeast Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard/Northeast Columbia Boulevard, North Marine Drive/North Portsmouth Avenue, and North Lombard St/North Ramsey Boulevard. At one point there were people riding on the hoods of vehicles as they drove recklessly around Northeast Sandy Boulevard in the Goodwill parking lot. Each of these incidents were quickly broken up by responding officers.

Sixteen vehicles were towed. Fourteen people were arrested and booked into jail. Three juveniles were detained in a stolen car and released to parents with a future court date.

Arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (not a complete list-other names unavailable):

Eric Rios, 19, of Salem, Oregon - Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment Towed: 2016 Chevrolet Camaro - (OR) 891KJG (photo)

Juan Magana, 24, of Salem, Oregon - Reckless Driving Towed: 2018 Chevrolet Camaro - (OR) SL87837 (photo)

Randy Lester, 21, of Seattle, Washington, vehicle towed -- Reckless Driving (2 counts)

Alejandro Murphy, 24, unknown residence, vehicle towed - Reckless Driving, Driving While Suspended

Isaac Alverado-Martinez, 19, unknown residence, vehicle tires deflated, towed -- Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver (hit and run), Reckless Driving, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree

Clayton Galloway, 23, of Lebanon, Oregon, vehicle towed -- Attempt to Elude Police Officer, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment (2 counts),

Elizabeth Bridgewater, 24, unknown residence -- Attempt to Elude Police Officer, Reckless Endangerment

Adan Alejandreds-Ayala, 20, of Portland, vehicle towed -- Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Hit and Run, Attempt to Elude Police officer

Kailey Morton, 22, of Rio Linda, California -- Reckless Driving

Chanel Mussey, 21, of Portland --Reckless Driving, Attempt to Elude Police Officer, Escape in the Third Degree, Interfering with a Police Officer

Gunther Orozco, 20, unknown residence, vehicle towed --Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Driving While Suspended -- Misdemeanor

Criminally Cited: Silas Hickey, 20, of Santa Cruz, California -- Reckless Driving

Eight other traffic violation citations were issued. Two vehicles were disabled using spike strips to deflate tires during attempts to elude.

One crash was connected to speed racing. At North Columbia Boulevard and North Argyle Street, a vehicle hit a pole. No injuries. Vehicle was towed. Two other crashes are suspected to be related to speed racing, one on I-5 southbound at Marine Drive, the other at Northeast 122nd Avenue and Northeast Halsey Street (hit and run-2 victim vehicles damaged). No one was injured.

Irresponsible driving practices can have a deadly outcome. There have been 46 fatalities and 43 Major Crash Team activations this year in the City of Portland.

Traffic Division officers and sergeants regularly do focused enforcement in areas where dangerous driving behavior has resulted in crashes or numerous complaints. These special details rotate throughout the city.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-11-12 09:45:58

Last Update: 2020-11-12 10:43:02