Truck smashes into Lents convenience store

For more than one reason, it’s surprising to some that nobody was arrested in this outer East Portland crash …

At the intersection of SE Flavel Street and 92nd Avenue, police officers are sorting out the aftermath, after a large pickup truck drove through the front windows of a neighborhood market.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Employees and customers inside the Checkers Mart, a convenience store just off the Springwater Corridor Trail at 9122 SE Flavel Street, got a big surprise on Monday, March 31st, when at about 7:35 p.m. their walk-in store became a “drive in”.

That’s when a full-size RAM pickup truck drove into the parking lot, popped up curb, and came crashing into store through two windows. The huge vehicle stopped about halfway into the store.

Here’s what it looked like inside the store. Portland Fire & Rescue image

And this is a closer look; note the tub of ice cream sitting coolly on the hood of the truck. Portland Fire & Rescue image

Both the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) responded at 7:43 p.m. that evening.

Firefighters examine the building to make sure it is still sound, and has no fire hazards. Portland Fire & Rescue image

Both the PF&R Lents Station 11’s Engine Company and Rescue Company – based less than a mile to the north along SE 92nd Avenue – looked for anyone injured in the crash, but found none. Then, the firefighters checked the structural integrity of the building, and finding it still to be satisfactorily sturdy, they left on another call.

At first, only two PPB officers were called to the incident. But soon, five officers (actually, four officers and a Public Safety Support Specialist) had arrived.

Police officers gather at the scene; perhaps the civilian in this photo is the driver.

A bystander, waiting for a bus across the street, said he heard “raised voices” after the crash, and came over to look. He also said he noticed that the truck had an expired license plate (expired in 2020), and a “Trip Permit” (expired in December, 2024).

“The way the call was dispatched prompted additional units,” PPB Public Information Officer Derek Carmon later told East Portland News. “According to the report, the truck’s driver was arguing and appeared intoxicated. [But] no arrests were made, and information was exchanged.” There was no explanation for why there were no citations issued under the circumstances.

Within an hour, the truck was gone, and the clean-up had begun.

Interestingly, the store has concrete-filled steel bollards installed to protect the store’s front doors. More of them may be needed to protect the windows as well.

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