A driver struck and injured at least six people on a 20-block stretch of southeastern Portland before falling and fleeing on Monday afternoon, witnesses said.
According to Portland Fire and Rescue, a pedestrian was hit and seriously injured in a “major traffic incident” on Southeast Stark Street and 19th Avenue in the Buckman neighborhood. A Fire Department spokesman said five other people were not in critical condition.
Portland police officer Derek Carmon said during a news conference that officers responded after someone reported a hit by a car near Laurelhurst Park shortly after 1 pm. He said that when they arrived, they started receiving other calls about the same suspicious vehicle, a silver Honda Element, hitting other cars and pedestrians.
Carmon said the crime scene extends from Laurelhurst Park on 33rd Avenue to 18th Avenue and Stark Street, and asked anyone to see the wreckage or have a video on that stretch to contact the police.
He said the suspect, whom he did not immediately identify, crashed the car and ran away, being stopped by several members of the community who saw him trying to flee the scene. He said passers-by detained the suspect until police arrived.
One victim, a 70-year-old woman, was taken to the Oregon Health & Science University hospital and is in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesman.
According to a witness, Larry Wolfe, the woman had come to meet him for a meeting at the corner of Washington Street and 19th Avenue, when he saw her being hit by the car and screaming. Wolfe said he walked towards her, then saw the car come back and hit her again. The car then made a U-turn and headed towards 19th Avenue to Stark Street, said Wolfe.
Several ambulances responded to the area. A Portland Police Department press release confirmed that the vehicle hit pedestrians and cars over a 20-block stretch from Southeast 33rd Avenue and Stark Street to Southeast 13th Avenue. They did not confirm how many people or cars were hit, or the type of vehicle the suspect was driving. The police department said there are several crime scenes on this stretch.
Several witnesses said they saw an SUV leaving the scene.
Brandon Kutzler said he was walking through the Buckman neighborhood when he found the police arresting a man on 17th Avenue, between Stark and Washington Streets. Kutzler took pictures of a man handcuffed on the floor.
Cody Warnes, an employee at a nearby company, said he saw a heavily dented silver Honda Element driving east on Belmont Street. The car turned left in the opposite direction to 30th Avenue towards Stark Street, then hit a cyclist on the corner.
On 19th Avenue, Sarah Mirk said she saw the grass torn with tire tracks, as if a car had turned the block. There appeared to be a person lying on the road who was later taken by the police and paramedics.
Daveed Jacobo said he was arriving at Laurelhurst Park around 1 pm when he saw the Honda Element coming down the hill on SE 33rd Avenue. He turned right on Pine Street, accelerated and hit a woman who was crossing the street. He said the license plate flew out of the car, allowing him to report the incident. The emergency team arrived quickly to transport the woman to the hospital.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Beth Nakamura, Jayati Ramakrishnan, Michael Russell, Ted Sickinger and Fedor Zarkhin of The Oregonian / OregonLive contributed to this report.