
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multiple suspects were arrested, and several cars were towed after police investigated a frenzy of street takeovers in Portland that shut down traffic around the city Sunday night.
Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner told KOIN 6 News that police responded to illegal street takeover events near the Expo Center at the intersection of Marine Drive and Martin Luther King Blvd., near the Moda and Lloyd Centers and on the top deck of the Fremont Bridge, which connects I-5 south to I-405 and Highway 30. However, PPB said on Monday that it was unable to immediately compile how many arrests were made or how many cars were towed as a result of the street takeover arrests.
“PPB was alerted to these events and conducted a street racing mission to disrupt them,” Benner said. “This resulted in several arrests and cars towed.”
A witness to the Expo Center takeover told KOIN 6 News that she was stuck in traffic for nearly an hour while drivers spun their vehicles in little circles around the major intersection. Video of the scene shows dozens of spectators lining the street as cars whip dangerously close to the crows.
Although police were seen near the scene, the witness said that she did not see police make any arrests during the 50 minutes that she was stuck in traffic.
“There was a helicopter circling from afar,” she said,” People started saying cops were coming so they all took off, but no cops ever showed up on scene.”
KOIN 6 will provide more information on the arrests when it is made available.