PORTLAND, Ore. — The man accused of running over three women on the Portland State University campus last Friday accelerated as he drove on the sidewalk and hit the women, witnesses told police according to a probable cause affidavit.
On Wednesday, the suspect, 61-year-old Greg Porter, pleaded not guilty to three counts each of attempted murder, first-degree assault, reckless driving and failure to perform the duties of a driver.
Police say Porter drove an SUV onto a sidewalk Friday morning near Southwest 6th Avenue and Hall Street and hit three young women. Porter didn't know the women, according to court documents.
In addition to the witnesses who said the driver accelerated, another witness said he "did not hear the car apply the brakes." Another witness said the driver turned back onto Southwest 6th Avenue "in a controlled manner," according to the affidavit.
One of the women was critically injured and another suffered serious, but not life-threatening injuries, according to police. Police initially reported the third victim's injuries were serious, but later said the woman's family did not want any further medical updates released.
Portland State University identified one of the women as Hannah Cline, a freshman at the school. According to the affidavit, Cline was in surgery with life-threatening injuries immediately after the crash. Her family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical expenses.
Police say they still haven't determined a motive for why Porter drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into the women.
He was arrested later on Friday while sitting in the SUV on Northeast 16th Avenue. A man walking his dog in the neighborhood noticed a blue SUV with damage to the hood and front end, and a man sitting in the driver’s seat, according to the probable cause affidavit. When the man returned home, he told officers he was scrolling through the news when he came across a story about the hit-and-run on the PSU campus. He saw officers were still looking for the blue SUV, took a picture of the damaged SUV he saw in his neighborhood and called police.
A responding officer said Porter told her he was driving in downtown Portland earlier on Friday and that he does not allow anyone else to drive the SUV, which is register to him, according to the affidavit.
Porter used to live in the small retirement community of King City. One of his former neighbors said he was paranoid and angry.
"Every time he'd get on his phone, he'd be yelling and screaming ... cussing these people out," said Ralph Garza, who lived on the other side of Porter's old home for three years. "He had a short temper."
Others painted a different picture.
"He'd come over and help me get stuff out of the car," said Judith Lynne, who lived next door to Porter. "He was kind of like a big teddy bear."
Court documents show that Porter's wife died last year. He said he was evicted from his home and has lived in his car for the past year. He also said he uses marijuana daily for pain and receives $1,400 per month in social security payments.
Porter spent some time recently at the Secora Health and Rehabilitation Center in Southeast Portland for physical therapy rehabilitation. One administrator at the center said there were concerns about his mental health. He was discharged May 1.