Posted on August 31, 2022

Multiple People Shot Near Illegal Street-Racing Takeovers in Portland

Jared Cowley, KGW, August 29, 2022

Multiple people were shot near illegal street-racing “takeovers” as street racers blocked streets and intersections across the city Sunday night.

It all happened on a weekend when Portland police were so busy responding to homicides and shootings, they were unable to do anything to crack down on the street-racing events. The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said some of the events impeded officers’ ability to reach areas of the city where people had been shot.

{snip} According to police, three people were shot in the area of the Marine Drive street-racing event Sunday night. {snip}

The street racing angered Portland residents, with numerous people reaching out to KGW Sunday night to share details of what they were seeing and hearing, and ask why police weren’t getting involved.

Much of the outcry was focused on a large event in Northeast Portland that took over multiple streets, blocking the six-way intersection of Northeast 72nd Avenue, Sandy Boulevard and Fremont Street in the Roseway neighborhood of Northeast Portland.

According to witness reports, there were hundreds of people at the event and cars were lined up five to six cars deep at each part of the intersection to make sure nobody could get through. There were reports of “drifting” cars, fireworks, large amounts of smoke and people sitting and standing on the roofs of nearby businesses, including a nearby donut shop.

People who contacted KGW said they called 911 multiple times but police didn’t respond. One person said they were told by dispatch there was nothing police could do about it.

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