See the results of this smashup on the border of the Hazelwood and Russell neighborhoods in outer East Portland. You may be surprised at how quickly the alleged drunk driver got out of jail, and with no bail …
A suspected drunk driver in this Toyota Prius turned in front of a Portland Police cruiser –resulting in this nearly-head-on smashup that slammed the police car into a fence and bushes.
By David F. Ashton
Frequently, impaired drivers get into crashes — sometimes with other vehicles, and in other cases with stationary objects.
But, not often does a drunk driver slam into a Portland Police Bureau (PPB) patrol car cruising in their district.
In the crash, the damaged police car was propelled into a fence and shrubbery in the front yard of a residence.
But such was the case on Saturday, November 8, when PPB East Precinct officers reported to dispatchers at 7:15 p.m. that they’d been involved in a crash at NE Halsey Street and 29th Place, and requested emergency medical services.
Ambulances and other PPB personnel, including supervisors, arrived to the site – on the dividing line between the Russell and Hazelwood neighborhoods.
The officers were able to extract themselves from their damaged cruiser, assess the injuries of the involved driver, and request assistance. Both officers and the driver of the Prius were taken to a hospital, and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
It looks like this 2008 Toyota Prius is a total wreck, after colliding with a police car.
The PPB’s Traffic Division officers investigated the crash – which revealed that the driver of the 2008 Toyota Prius was eastbound on NE Halsey Street, and made a left turn onto northbound 129th Place right in front of the officers’ vehicle, which was westbound Halsey Street.
The officers were not responding to a call at the time, were driving normally, and their police lights were not activated.
The crash was nearly head-on – but \ the officer at the wheel was able to brake, and lower the speed of the crash. Still, the impact pushed the patrol SUV into a fence, damaging the fence, some landscaping, and a vehicle parked in the driveway. Both involved vehicles had to be towed.
As it’s put on a tow truck, the severity of the damage to this police car becomes clear.
After his brief medical evaluation at a local hospital, 47-year-old Zachary Kwok Lee of Portland, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center MCDC on Sunday morning, November 9 at 12:55 a.m., on charges of “Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants-Alcohol” (DWII) and Reckless Driving, and he was served with a traffic citation for Dangerous Left Turn and Expired Registration.
At his arraignment later on the same morning of his arrest, Lee learned the court had dropped the traffic citations – but he will face the A Misdemeanor DWII and Reckless Driving charges – and was then promptly released from the MCDC, without having to post bail. Release Reason: Released on Own Recognizance.
By the way, the officers were treated and released from the hospital, and are now recovering at home.
Portland Police Bureau photos
© 2025 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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