Elusive Portland Pair In Stolen Vehicle Crash Arrested And Face Felony Charges
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) indicated that East Precinct Portland Police officers responding to a report of a welfare check on two people seen unconscious in a Jeep in the area of Southeast 60th Avenue and Southeast Francis Street found two people in the SUV, which then fled the scene.
Although police attempted to stop the vehicle without active pursuit, the SUV eventually crashed, and the two occupants were arrested.
Portland Police Arrest Two After Stolen Vehicle Crashes
When Portland Police approached a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, reported to contain two unconscious people, the driver, Kyliana S. Strickland, 21, woke up and backed the vehicle into a PPB patrol vehicle before taking off at a high rate of speed. The police vehicle was undamaged due to its heavy-duty protective front bumper.
PPB officers deployed spike strips to flatten the tires and used other methods to stop the Jeep, which continued to speed, swerving in and out of lanes of traffic. The driver did not obey traffic control devices and almost caused crashes, driving recklessly in a manner that put other road users at extreme risk.
The vehicle continued to elude police despite a flattened left front tire worn down to the metal rim. Officers used several methods to stop the Jeep, including intervention techniques. Several minutes later, the driver lost control at Southeast 34th Avenue and Southeast Insley Street, crashing into a parked, unoccupied vehicle.
After the crash, PPB officers moved in to arrest Strickland and a passenger, Jacob K. Richardson, 24.
Police established that the Jeep was stolen and the passenger had a loaded semiautomatic handgun. It was also later discovered to be stolen and was seized by police.
Despite no injuries being apparent, the two occupants were transported to the hospital by ambulance as the airbags deployed during the violent crash. The pair were driven to jail after being medically evaluated. No officers were injured, and the Jeep was towed.
Both occupants of the Jeep had several active arrest warrants and were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC). Strickland faces charges of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (drugs), Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, four counts of Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver (property damage), two counts of Interfering with a Peace Officer, and Resisting Arrest.
Richardson faces charges of Distribution of a Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine, Distribution of a Controlled Substance-Cocaine, Theft in the First Degree of a Firearm, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.