A late-night chase through Northeast Portland ended with a Multnomah County sheriff's SUV being hit head-on by a Woodburn driver in handcuffs early Saturday, authorities said. Deputies and Portland Police Bureau officers used spike strips and a short foot chase to reel in the driver, and neither deputy in the patrol SUV was seriously hurt. The incident started near Northeast Glisan Street and Northeast 148th Avenue and wrapped up in the 3400 block of Northeast 126th Avenue.
How the stop unfolded
Around 2 a.m., dispatchers told law enforcement that a car had taken off from Portland Police near Northeast Glisan Street and Northeast 148th Avenue. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office deputies later spotted the vehicle and tried to pull it over. Portland officers then relocated the car, laid down spike strips and followed it into the area of Northeast Fremont Street and Northeast 102nd Avenue, where the driver lost control and hit the front of an occupied MCSO patrol SUV. Neither deputy was seriously injured, and the sheriff's office stressed that its account is preliminary, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
Suspect identified and charged
Portland Police ultimately stopped the car, and the driver was identified in booking records as 21-year-old Jose Gabriel Herrera of Woodburn, who was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, according to KOIN. Local reporting said Herrera was driving a 2015 Infiniti and now faces multiple counts, including failure to perform the duties of a driver, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving and attempting to elude law enforcement. Authorities allege he bailed out of the vehicle and ran, but officers chased him down, took him to the ground and arrested him.
Police tactics and the crash scene
The sheriff's office said Portland officers set up spike strips that shredded the car's tires but did not bring it to an immediate stop. The vehicle continued into the Northeast Fremont Street and Northeast 102nd Avenue area, where it collided with the front of the sheriff's patrol SUV with two deputies inside. The car then came to a halt near Northeast Rose Parkway and Northeast 127th Avenue and ultimately in the 3400 block of Northeast 126th Avenue, where the driver got out and tried to run before officers detained him. Investigators released two scene photos for media use with credit to the sheriff's office and again emphasized that the information is preliminary, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
What’s next
Booking information shows Herrera faces multiple traffic and criminal counts and remains held at the Multnomah County Detention Center while awaiting arraignment, as reported by KOIN. The sheriff's office noted that Oregon law generally limits the release of booking photos except for specific law-enforcement purposes, a rule set out in ORS 133.870. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office will review the case and decide whether to file formal charges, and authorities emphasized that the counts are only allegations and Herrera is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
