PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man has been arrested more than three months after a deadly hit-and-run occurred in Tigard — and police say he’s also suspected of other crimes.
According to the Tigard Police Department, 28-year-old Toma Matisoff is suspected of striking two pedestrians while driving down Southwest Hall Boulevard before fleeing the area on March 4.
Fifty-seven-year-old Karen Kain was pronounced dead at the scene, while her 86-year-old mother was hospitalized with severe injuries.
Tigard PD announced Matisoff’s arrest on Monday, June 13, after following up on leads, talking to witnesses and presenting a case to a Washington County grand jury over the course of the last few months.
In addition to this fatal crash, investigators believe Matisoff has committed other crimes since — including theft, burglary and attempted burglary. Authorities say Matisoff has already been indicted on various charges.
Matisoff was taken to the Washington County Jail on a total of nine charges, including two counts of hit-and-run, first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, first-degree the, three counts of second-degree attempted burglary, along with third-degree attempted escape for trying to “break free” from officers while they were arresting him.
“I am so grateful for some resolution in this case, and I can’t imagine the pain the Kain family is continuing to endure,” Tigard Police Chief Kathy McAlpine said. “They are requesting privacy at this time and I would ask that their wishes be respected.”
Following the crash, KOIN 6 News learned Kain was walking her mother to the memory care center across the street from her home. Authorities say the driver didn’t stay on the scene.
Kain was reportedly new to the neighborhood, having moved to the area to be closer to her aging mother.
About a month after her death, community members gathered at the same intersection to hold a protest — saying that Hall Blvd. is unsafe and that there are requests that ODOT either invest the funds to make it safe or turn it over to the city of Tigard and provide them with the funds to do so.
Another month later, officials announced that “major safety improvements” were coming to the neglected Tigard street.
“Unfortunately, the conditions on Hall Blvd., which include its speed, limited crossings, incomplete sidewalks, have all made travel on this corridor unsafe,” Tigard Mayor Jason Snider said. “Most people experience this neglect as they drive down the road, feeling every pothole and crack in the pavement.”
That’s why the Oregon Department of Transportation and the city of Tigard have reportedly been working on safety improvements and transferring the section to the city’s jurisdiction, similar to how ODOT recently handed ownership of 82nd Ave., a seven-mile-long, high crash corridor, over to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).
Traffic studies are looking into lowering speed and needed improvements like overcrossings for pedestrians and cyclists, bike lanes and pavement fixes. While officials compile a list of improvements, it’s unlikely Tigard locals will see these changes for a few years.
One of the first projects underway is $7 million to replace 67 ADA-compliant ramps along the corridor of Hall Blvd., which they hope to complete by the end of this year. ODOT and Tigard are also working to get federal funding for other improvements, like rapid-flashing beacons for pedestrian crossings. For more information, click here.