A fatal car crash in downtown Portland has left one dead and another in the ICU, leading to manslaughter and DUII charges against a Tigard man. Jacob Madison Tabor, 46, entered a not guilty plea for the downtown Portland crash that took the life of Wael Zahran, 23, also of Tigard, and seriously injured Mosharaf Nariman, 29, reported The Oregonian. Tabor looked down tearfully and crossed himself as he faced a first-degree manslaughter charge, among other accusations, in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
North Portland was shaken by another deadly incident involving a street racing crash on North Marine Drive that claimed two lives. The late-night collision happened around 11 p.m. on Saturday, igniting the car into flames and resulting in a gut-wrenching scene for onlookers, as covered by KGW News. Police are investigating the roles of alcohol and speed in the crash, while street racing activity has been confirmed in the region just before the tragic event.
In regards to the downtown crash, Tabor is currently being detained at the Multnomah County Detention Center, and a preventative detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. In light of his numerous past convictions for reckless driving and DUI, Hala Gores, representing Zahran's family, implored the court to keep Tabor in custody. "(Zahran) would have turned 24 tomorrow. Instead they are burying him," Gores expressed.
To add to the city's woes, the community in North Portland is in mourning and demanding action to curb the dangerous trend of illegal street racing, in the wake of the fatal crash on North Marine Drive. BNN Breaking reported that most of the individuals present at the time of the crash dispersed before police arrived.
