A 21-year-old Portland woman was arrested and charged with second-degree assault after police say she hit another woman with a car following a family fight in north Portland yesterday. The injured woman was taken to a hospital and later released. Police identified the suspect as Desvonna Lashay Morris Moton and say officers later found her vehicle and took her into custody.
Police account and arrest
Officers were called just before 4 p.m. to North Flint Avenue and North Broadway after reports that a woman had been struck by a car, according to KPTV. Witnesses told investigators the confrontation started when Moton began fighting with a relative and several others got involved. Police say Moton then got into a vehicle and, after nearly hitting the relative’s partner, made a U-turn and drove back to "intentionally swerve and crash into her," the Portland Police Bureau told the station. Officers later stopped Moton’s car near Northeast Sixth Avenue and Northeast Clackamas Street, and she was arrested and booked on a charge of second-degree assault.
What second-degree assault means in Oregon
Moton faces a charge of assault in the second degree, which Oregon law defines under state statute as a Class B felony when someone intentionally or knowingly causes serious physical injury or causes injury "by means of a deadly or dangerous weapon." That definition appears in ORS 163.175, published by the Oregon Legislature. The Oregon Legislature also sets the maximum prison term for a Class B felony at 10 years in ORS 161.605.
Portland context
Portland has seen other cases this winter in which crashes involving pedestrians or bystanders led to felony charges. For example, KPTV reported in January that a woman was indicted after a deadly Northeast Portland hit-and-run in December, a case that prompted investigators to ask for tips as it moved toward prosecution.
What’s next
Initial reports did not list a court date or detailed booking information, and prosecutors will decide whether to move ahead with formal charges beyond the arrest report. For tips or to reach the bureau’s public information office, the Portland Police Bureau provides a PIO email address on city press releases, according to Portland.gov.
