This trio of teens was looking for some ‘midnight excitement’ – and got more thrills than they bargained for as they ran into one dead-end after another …
After a teenage driver flees a fireworks-related traffic stop in Ardenwald, and ramming two patrol cars in the course of the chase, law enforcement officers from three jurisdictions helped stop the car and arrest those in it.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Neighbors annoyed by a trio of teenagers allegedly shooting off fireworks at Ardenwald Elementary School on SE Roswell Street in the Ardenwald-Johnson Creek neighborhood finally had enough, and called the Milwaukie Police at 11:10 p.m. on July 2.
A Milwaukie police officer tried to contact the occupants of a white Ford compact car near SE 36th and SE Barba Street – but they didn’t want to be contacted.
“The driver attempted to elude the officer and sped away,” said Milwaukie Police Department Public Information Officer Ulli Neitch. “But, the driver turned into a dead-end cul-de-sac near the east side of the school. When the officer pulled in behind the vehicle, the driver turned, and twice rammed the front of her patrol car head-on, while trying to elude the stop.”
The driver managed to navigate to SE Johnson Creek Boulevard, and up SE Bell Avenue into Portland – thence heading west on SE Luther Street, near SE 82nd Avenue, when he turned south on SE 76th Avenue – another dead end street.
This PPB Transit Division Supervisor successfully executes a PIT maneuver, making the fleeing Ford spin out.
It was there that the suspect driver struck a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office patrol car that had arrived in the area to assist in the pursuit.
Escaping the law once again, the driver headed north on SE 82nd Avenue.
According to reports coming over the police radio, the suspect driver appeared to steer the car toward a Portland Police officer who was preparing to throw a “spike strip” to deflate the car’s tires.
The car headed east on SE Flavel Street, turned north on SE 84th Avenue. Portland Police Bureau East Precinct and Traffic Division officers continued the pursuit, and a Transit Division officer ended it with a successful PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver in the 7200 block of SE 84th Avenue.
The suspect driver still wasn’t ready to surrender, and took off running north along the street.
But the two passengers, a male and a female, gave up and surrendered to police. The female told officers that the suspect driver took her Samsung Galaxy s5 cell phone on which she was recording the events of the evening.
The alleged driver, a 17-year-old, runs – but he doesn’t escape the law officers who chase him down.
More Portland Police officers converged on the area, and caught the suspected driver about four blocks to the north, on SE 84th Avenue near SE Duke Street.
“Three occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody,” Neitch said. “The driver and the passengers in the vehicle were all juveniles.
“The 17-year old driver was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries that resulted from the incident,” Neitch added. “The two juvenile passengers were released to legal guardians.”
A criminal complaint will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. “The incident is still under investigation. One Milwaukie patrol car and one Clackamas County patrol car sustained damage when rammed by the suspect vehicle,” Neitch concluded.
© 2014 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
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