A 20-year-old behind the wheel of a stolen car led police from five agencies on a chase this week that crossed from Oregon into Washington and back into Oregon with the suspect hitting speeds above 100 mph and racing the wrong way on Interstate 84, police and prosecutors said.
The wild ride started around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Southeast Portland and ended about 30 minutes later in outer Northeast Portland.
A Portland police plane relayed minute-by-minute updates to officers on the ground as it tracked the stolen Honda Civic.
The officers in the air described the driver’s recklessness: The Honda almost T-boned another car. Children on bikes hopped off and ran to avoid getting hit.
Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies successfully used spike strips to rupture the car’s tires, but it continued to run on its rims until a deputy stopped it using what’s called a pit maneuver -- ramming into one end of the car to try to spin it to a stop.
Officers from Oregon State Police, Washington State Patrol, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office also joined in the pursuit at various points.
After his arrest, Zacharay Mitchell Johnson told officers he didn’t remember anything that had just occurred, according to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Aileen Santoyo.
But police couldn’t forget it.
The affidavit described Multnomah County Deputy Kevin Jones first spotting the car in the parking lot of the Evergreen Inn and Suites off Northeast 82nd Avenue near Portland International Airport. He ran the plate and it came back as stolen, the affidavit said.
The Honda immediately pulled out of the lot and the deputy followed, according to police and prosecutors.
The deputy watched the Honda weave in and out of traffic and get onto northbound Interstate 205, where Portland Police Bureau’s Air 2 plane tracked it into Washington. Clark County deputies were alerted and took over.
The car then sped back into Oregon over southbound I-205. Officers planned to put spike strips down at the Airport Way exit to try to stop the car, according to dispatch records.
But the Honda headed from I-205 to Interstate 84 eastbound, then exited near Troutdale. It headed west on Frontage Road into incoming traffic as officers in the police plane reported cars were “swerving out of its way.’’
“He’s going 100 mph into oncoming traffic, disregard for the community and all that,’’ one officer radioed to Multnomah County dispatch just before 7:30 p.m.
Suddenly, the Honda got back on I-84, going the wrong way in the eastbound fast lane of the freeway at speeds of 95 to 100 mph, officers said.
“As the vehicle was traveling the wrong way, multiple marked police vehicles were following it with lights and sirens on,’’ the prosecutor wrote in the affidavit.
Zachary Mitchell Johnson, 20, is accused of reckless driving, unauthorized use of a vehicle, possessing a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude police and reckless endangerment.
Some officers talked about shutting down I-84. But the Honda sped off the freeway via an onramp, again causing cars to swerve to get out of the way, only to get back onto the freeway, this time with the westbound traffic.
After exiting the freeway at another spot, the Honda ran over a spike strip, was reported to be riding on its rims before it finally was stopped near Sandy Boulevard and Northeast 133rd Avenue, where Johnson was arrested.
"I was gardening and heard them coming from a couple blocks away,'' said Portland resident Brynden McNew. "So crazy, he came down Argay neighborhood and almost hit kids. There were so many people out because it was such a nice evening. So grateful he didn’t hurt anyone.''
Deputies found counterfeit checks, counterfeit currency, a printer and a set of keys inside the Honda, the affidavit said. The car had been stolen from Vancouver earlier that morning, police said.
Zachary M. Johnson , 20, was arrested after a 30-minute chase that started in Oregon, headed to Washington and then back to Oregon about 7:30 p.m.
Johnson is accused of reckless driving, possessing a stolen car, unauthorized use of a car, trying to elude police and two counts of recklessly endangering others.
Johnson told court officials that he has no permanent address and works as a roofer. He said he uses methamphetamine daily, according to court records.
He had two prior arrests this year. He was in court Feb. 19, accused of aggravated identity theft, burglary and identity theft and released. He was re-arrested on April 13 on allegations of unauthorized use of a vehicle, identity theft and possession of methamphetamine and released with a future court date, due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to court records. He was supposed to be under pretrial supervision, required to check in by phone with a supervisor and not leave the state, but hadn’t complied, according to court records. His supervising officer left three phone messages with Johnson when he failed to call in as required, according to the records.
Johnson’s mother, Charitie Johnson, said she’s angry that her son was released from custody after his earlier arrests this year.
"I blame the courts for letting him out the first time knowing he was an addict. Openly admitted it. This isn’t the first case of not remembering what he did on an arrest. But yet they offer zero help,'' she said. "If you want the crime rate down, then help those suffering from addiction.''
Zachary Johnson is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center and is due back in court on May 15.
-- Maxine Bernstein
Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212
Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian
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