PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police officers arrested two men on Thursday afternoon following a high-speed chase through the Southeast that ended near Reed College.
Just before 4:45 p.m., two officers in a patrol car tried to pull over a driver near the intersection of Southeast 116th and Powell. Instead of stopping, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement, the driver started speeding away.
PPB tracked the driver's movements from above with a small plane while more officers responded to the area. PPB's pilot reportedly saw the suspect vehicle driving recklessly, speeding, passing in oncoming lanes and ignoring traffic lights.
"At least one other driver's car was nearly struck by the suspect vehicle," the agency said.
Pursuit of the suspects drew officers from PPB's East Precinct, Central Precinct, the Focused Intervention Team (FIT), and a K-9 unit.
The chase ended more than five miles away from where it began, when the driver stopped near Reed College at Southeast 28th Avenue and Southeast Steele Street. PPB said that three people got out of the vehicle and ran away on foot.
Officers surrounded the area, using the K-9 team to find and detain two suspects, both 18-year-olds. Police did not find the third person.
PPB said that officers seized two guns as evidence. An investigation into the case continues, led by FIT and the Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST), Portland's two gun violence-related task forces.
The teens are facing multiple charges including unlawful possession of firearms, attempt to elude police and reckless driving.
This was the second police chase to end in arrests on Thursday afternoon — and the second to involve seized guns. The other, which started as an alleged carjacking, is also being investigated by ECST, in addition to PPB robbery detectives.
