A crowd of pedestrians leaving an event at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium narrowly avoided being struck by a habitual offender driving under the influence who collided with three vehicles, including a police cruiser, before being apprehended, according to a Monday press release from the Portland Police Department.
The incident occurred at about 5:40 p.m. on Sunday, when a Portland Police officer driving on Cumberland Avenue noticed a silver van at the intersection of Cumberland Avenue and Pear Street collide with a parked car, and then proceed to crash into another parked vehicle.
According to Portland Police, the officer used his cruiser to block the road and turned on his lights and sirens in order to prevent the van from moving any further.
The van then crashed into the cruiser at a low speed and came to a stop, police said.
“The crosswalks and sidewalks were full as an event had just ended at Merrill Auditorium, and this stop likely prevented further damage and the potential of a pedestrian being struck,” Portland Police stated.
The driver of the van, 60-year-old William Garcia Dominguez of Portland, was arrested and charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, displaying false registration validation (attaching false plates), operating under the influence, driving to endanger and operating after habitual offender revocation.
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