PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Street racers took over streets in North Portland Sunday night as a drone flew overhead and Portland police officers patrolled nearby.
KOIN 6 News crews saw the street racers on North Columbia near Peninsular.
Police said that five people were arrested, 25 people were cited for traffic violations, and between 20 and 30 vehicles eluded officers.
“These are very hard crimes to do anything about. Those organized barricades in the roads, they stop law enforcement the same way they would stop anyone else,” said Aaron Knott, policy director for Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. “Particularly with COVID, we started seeing the onset of these street racing events and they were different. These are events where they’re advertised on social media and online in advance.”
This coming week the Oregon House of Representatives takes up a bill that cracks down on street racers along with those who organize the street racing events.
The bill would make reckless driving and organizing a street racing event a Class A misdemeanor. A conviction would mean a year in prsion, a hefty fine or both. It also means law enforcement would be able to seize cars involved in street racing.
Repeat offenders could sentenced to up to five years in prison.
“These organized races have basically hijacked our own streets with just total disregard of safety,” said Mark Meek (D, District 20-Clackamas County).
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up Senate Bill 615 on Thursday. The bill passed through the Senate last month.