PORTLAND, Ore. — Police arrested a 27-year-old Portland man and two Vancouver teenagers Thursday after a car chase that crossed the Columbia River and ended with a couple of tossed guns and a collision with a MAX train.
The ordeal started around 3 p.m. on Thursday when Vancouver police responded to reports of a drive-by shooting at the Alder Creek Apartments on Northeast 49th Street. There were no injuries in the shooting.
Responding officers did not locate the suspects at the scene, but took down descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle they were in.
Just before 6 p.m. that evening, Vancouver police received another call about a "suspicious vehicle" parked on Northeast 112th Avenue near the Brookside 112 Apartments. Callers reported seeing people in the car wearing ski masks and holding rifles.
Officers found the vehicle, identifying it as black 2016 Kia Optima recently stolen out of Portland, and tried to conduct a traffic stop. But according to Vancouver police, the driver "made no attempt to stop" and kept driving away.
The resulting chase led from Vancouver over the Columbia River and into downtown Portland.
As the black Kia went over the Steel Bridge in Portland, police said that the suspects tossed out two rifles later recovered by investigators.
The car came to a stop when it became wedged next between a MAX train and the curb at Northwest 3rd and Glisan.
There were no reported injuries to anyone on the MAX, but Portland police said that the train was disabled by the force of the crash. Passengers had to be transferred to other forms of public transit.
Officers swarmed the scene and arrested 27-year-old Zachary A. Bruce of Portland, along with a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, both from Vancouver.
All three face multiple charges related to the stolen vehicle and the guns, but Bruce — presumably the driver — faces additional charges related to the pursuit.
Bruce was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center while each of the minors were booked into the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center.
Anyone with more information about the suspects is asked to please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 23-157832.
