Cars, guns, drugs seized as PPB mission stops street takeover in tracks
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As temperatures rise, historically the Rose City has seen a spike in street racing. However, local law enforcement is cracking down on dangerous driving, conducting targeted missions to stop racers in their tracks.
Portland police partnered with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office to conduct more than 20 traffic stops during a proactive mission overnight on Sunday.
Video obtained by KOIN 6 News shows several vehicles seized in North Portland. Stretches of North Wall Street and North Columbia Boulevard transformed into an unofficial finish line after vehicles were brought from top speeds to the back of a tow truck.
Resident Jonathan Olson told KOIN 6 News his wife alerted him to the scene just outside their window around 1 a.m.
“She said, ‘Oh my gosh, there's like, tons of cops outside. And I just saw one of them pull out a really large rifle,'” he said. “It basically happened right here. There was maybe one car down the road, maybe a couple on Wall Street.”
Olson said his family didn’t see the racing, but they have seen remnants left behind on the pavement afterward.
“Obviously, it happens late at night. We've heard about it. We've seen the articles. We see the marks on the ground quite a bit,” he said. “We honestly don't hear it much, but we know it's a real source of frustration.”
Despite several attempts to conduct takeover events overnight, Sergeant Kevin Allen with Portland Police said, “There wasn't a single intersection in the entire city that was taken over and blocked by this activity… Nobody died on the street last night, and that's huge.”
In the past, Allen said street takeover events have become ground zero for participants to launch illicit fireworks into crowds of people, drug dealing, shootings, and deadly crashes.
“This kind of activity is not okay. It's not safe,” Allen added. “It's not okay for the City of Portland, and the Portland Police Bureau is going to address it.”
According to police, officers conducted more than 20 traffic stops and made four arrests during the overnight mission. Those stops led to the seizure of two firearms and more than 3.6 grams of illegal drugs, in addition to four vehicles -- two of which are slated to be submitted for criminal forfeiture under Senate Bill 615.
“I think that's probably one of the most powerful tools that we have to really make a difference in this activity,” Sgt. Allen said. “These street racers, they love their cars. And getting a ticket is not a deterrence to some of them, getting arrested sometimes is not a deterrence. But if they lose their car and they don't get it back, you know that's a powerful tool.”
In 2023, SB 615 strengthened punishments for street racing to up to one year in prison and/or a fine of more than $6,000.
According to Patrick Dooris, communications director for the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, between when the law went into effect in June 2023 and January 31 of this year, “Multnomah County data shows that there have been 14 vehicle forfeiture cases. Five were dismissed due to process issues, four are pending forfeiture hearings, three were returned to a financial institution, and two were seized by law enforcement.”
Between the new legislation and proactive street takeover missions, Allen said the bureau is hoping to send a strong message.
“If you're engaging in this activity, you might get away with it sometimes, but you're not going to get away with it all the time. Because we're out there, and we do put together these special missions,” Allen said. “We're not going to tell you ahead of time. We just might show up with a whole bunch of cops and start putting people in handcuffs and towing cars, and we're going to continue to do that as these things pop up.”