Police arrested two men and aim to use the reckless driving law that recently went into effect to permanently confiscate their cars for allegedly “drifting” in a parking lot in North Portland on Friday night.
Drifting, or “street sliding” refers to a technique where drivers oversteer while driving into a turn, causing the car to slide sideways.
One of the men, Sergio Jimenez, 30, of Springfield was arrested on allegations of unlawful street takeover, possession of a loaded gun in a public place and unlawful possession of a firearm, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement.
Miguel A. Olmos-Gonzales, 33, of Portland, was arrested on a single allegation of unlawful street takeover, police say.
Police responded to a parking lot in the 15900 block of North Columbia Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. after getting calls that people were staging a street takeover there, police say.
Thermal imaging from a police drone was able to capture the heat trails from where the two cars’ tires had been skidding on the pavement.Courtesy of Portland Police Bureau
The officers flew a drone over the scene, and watched from the air as a security guard drove into the parking lot and approached the drifting drivers — but instead of leaving, they started drifting around her car while she was inside it, police spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen said in an email.
“We believe the drivers’ intent was to intimidate her,” Allen said. “Fortunately, she was unhurt.”
After documenting the incident with drone footage, police pulled the cars over and arrested Jimenez and Olmos-Gonzales — and seized their cars. Under Oregon’s Reckless Driving Law, the cars could be criminally forfeited, police say.
Jimenez had a loaded gun in his car when he was arrested, police said; the gun was seized as evidence.
Oregon law gives police the authority to confiscate vehicles used in street racing incidents, such as those seen in the summer of 2024.
Allen said that Portland police have used the reckless driving law periodically, and called Friday night’s case a “good opportunity to highlight it again as we hope it will deter others considering engaging in this dangerous and illegal behavior.”
— Tatum Todd is a breaking news reporter who covers public safety, crime and community news. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com or 503-221-4313.
