Find out how a stolen-vehicle recovery call ended in a head-on collision and an arrest in outer East Portland …
This is one of several Portland Police Bureau patrol cars at the scene of this stolen-vehicle crash is parked on S. E. Division Street, just east of S. E. 122nd AvenueB.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A stolen-vehicle recovery effort at S. E. 122nd Avenue and Division Street at 5:48 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, 2026, ended in a collision involving a police vehicle and a civilian car, according to Portland Police Bureau (PPB) information. Dispatch classified the call as “Vehicle Recovered.”
On the sunny late afternoon, all eastbound S. E. Division Street traffic and one westbound lane were closed about a half-block east of S. E. 122nd Avenue. Six officers were at the scene. A red RAM pickup appeared to be straddling the concrete barrier between the eastbound and westbound lanes after colliding with an eastbound Ford Fusion.
Traffic is closed on S. E. Division Street after this crash involving a red RAM pickup, a Portland Police Bureau patrol car, and a Ford Fusion.
After paramedics evaluated those involved, no one left in an ambulance, an officer at the scene told East Portland News. One man, however, departed in a police vehicle.
PPB account of stolen-vehicle incident
About this smashup, PPB Public Information Officer Terri Wallo Strauss told East Portland News: “PPB officers located a stolen vehicle with a driver inside in a parking lot in the area and called for additional officers to assist.
“One officer activated his overhead lights, and the suspect immediately exited the parking lot. In doing so, he lightly side-swiped a police vehicle, leaving scratches, and then collided head-on with a civilian vehicle,” Wallo Strauss continued.
“The driver of the civilian vehicle declined medical treatment at the scene, and his vehicle was towed because of the damage,” she added.
Note the substantial damage to the Ford Fusion and RAM pickup involved in this crash.
Suspect booking and released
Officers arrested 41-year-old Elliot Satoru Carr, Wallo Strauss noted/
Booking records show Carr was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 7:04 p.m. on September 23 on charges of aggravated identity theft (Class B felony); three counts of first-degree forgery (Class C felony); unauthorized use of a motor vehicle (Class C felony); possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class C felony); attempting to elude by vehicle (Class C felony); attempting to elude on foot (Class A misdemeanor); and reckless driving (Class A misdemeanor).
The case was listed as unsentenced. The booking record lists Carr’s release on September 25, 2026, to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Both the RAM pickup and Ford Fusion are towed from the scene of this crash in outer East Portland.
If you have information about this incident, and haven’t yet spoken with investigators, please contact the Portland Police Bureau and tell them it’s regarding Case No. 26-278827.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
