His ‘joy ride’ ended up almost killing another driver. Police say he may have been drunk at the time …
The wreck on SE 96th Avenue in Mill Park, alongside Interstate 205, wasn’t the result of a police pursuit, but an out-of-control and allegedly drunk young driver.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Frequencies on the emergency band radio crackled to life the evening of September 15 with a Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officer reporting that he was looking for a car that reportedly started driving very recklessly in the parking lot of Plaza 205.
“About 11:00 p.m., an East Precinct officer heard the sound of screeching car tires in area,” said PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson. “The officer went to investigate the sound and was nearly hit by the reckless driver, who was ‘doing cookies’ then sped away,” Simpson added.
Firefighters use their power rescue tools to remove an innocent victim from the wreckage of her car.
“We were taking our dogs out for a walk along SE Washington Street, and this car was ‘spinning donuts’ in the parking lot near the Dollar Tree store,” said Sindie Gunderson.
The guy took off [west, on SE Morrison Street, crossing SE 103rd Avenue] and drove through the US Bank parking lot,” Gunderson told East Portland News. “He then drove the wrong way [on SE Washington Street], and went through the Arby’s and then the Burger King parking lots, when we lost sight of him.”
The faultless crash victim is loaded into an AMR ambulance for transport to the hospital.
Many officers came to the area, trying to find the suspect vehicle. “Then, an officer came across a crash on SE 96th Avenue, where the suspect vehicle had crashed into another vehicle.”
Just south of SE Mill Street, in front of Happy Day Christian Child Care, were two mangled cars. The collision was so loud; it brought out many Mill Park neighbors to see what had occurred.
Officers look at the mangled cars, after the victims have been removed.
The female driver of the car struck by the suspect’s vehicle was so badly hurt that Portland Fire & Rescue Mill Park Station Truck 7’s crew had to use their set of powerful Holmatro Rescue Tools to cut her out of the wreckage.
“The victim, 54-year-old Hope Davis, was taken to a Portland hospital, having suffering very serious injuries,” Simpson later reported. “She remains in critical condition.”
Although he’d climbed out of his wrecked car and claimed to not be the driver – Simpson later said 22-year-old Sergey Y. Lastivka was, indeed, the driver of the Infiniti G37 that caused the crash. “He, too, was hospitalized, and remains in medical care.”
The PPB Traffic Division Major Crash Team prepares to investigate this collision.
An investigation by the PPB Traffic Division and the Major Crash Team indicated “both alcohol and driving speed by Lastivka appear to be factors in the crash,” Simpson said. “When he is released from the hospital, Lastivka will most likely face several charges.”
The suspect’s reprieve from justice was brief; Lastivka was released from the hospital – and promptly booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) – at 12:18 p.m. on September 16.
22-year-old Sergey Y. Lastivka is now in jail, facing numerous charges.
In Multnomah County Court on September 19, the deputy district attorney’s probable cause affidavit stated that, three hours after the crash, Lastivka’s blood alcohol content was above the legal limit for driving.
Lastivka remains in custody in lieu of a combined bail of $225,000,
facing charges of Assault in the Second Degree, Assault in the Fourth Degree, Attempt to Elude by Vehicle, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), and Reckless Endangerment (five counts).
© 2014 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
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