Officers arrested two people after swooping down on an alleged street-racing event in North Portland on Friday, police said.
Kaleb Moore, 20, of Sandy, and a 17-year-old girl were taken into custody after separately fleeing attempted traffic stops by police.
Moore faces likely charges that include reckless driving, unlawful street takeover, attempt to elude by vehicle and possession of a loaded firearm in public, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The 17-year-old girl, whose name hasn’t been released, could face street-takeover, reckless-driving and attempt-to-elude charges.
Officers arrived near North Marine Drive and Leadbetter Street at around 8:15 p.m. Friday and saw two cars, a Mustang and a Pontiac, racing each other and skidding in circles, the Police Bureau said.
Police tried to pull over the cars, but the drivers fled “at a high rate of speed,” according to a police statement.
Officers found the Mustang, driven by the 17-year-old girl, in a parking in an industrial area, police said. Moore, driving the Pontiac, drove over spike strips put down by police, and he eventually crashed the car near North Williams Avenue and Cook Street.
Moore and the girl were separately arrested, and their cars were towed. Their passengers were identified and released, police said.
The long, flat Marine Drive, which runs alongside the Columbia River on the city’s north side, is a popular road for street racing, and Portland police and county prosecutors are trying to change that.
Last week, a Multnomah County jury convicted a St. Helens man of reckless driving and assault in a 2023 street-racing crash on Marine Drive that seriously injured another man.
Said the case’s prosecutor, Branden Meadows, after the conviction:
“If you get caught (street racing) on Marine Drive, this office takes it seriously, and we’ll prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
Illegal street racing has become increasingly popular in the Portland area, especially since the onset of the pandemic. In 2023, a new state law increased penalties for street racers, including giving law enforcement the ability to confiscate cars used in street racing.
— The Oregonian/OregonLive