By Zaeem Shaikh
oregonlive.com
PORTLAND, Ore. — People in a street takeover crowd threw mortar-style fireworks Sunday evening at Portland police officers who were working to disrupt the event.
They were in a nearby parking structure and rained down fireworks that burst near police patrol cars, Capt. Chris Burley told reporters Monday.
“It was frightening for officers,” Burley said.
| REGISTER: Evolving training and team structure for modern SWAT operations
“To try and curtail this behavior is part of the job, but it doesn’t get lost upon me about the stress and the impact that has on officers,” he said.
Police said the crowd ended up at the Lloyd Center after moving first from near the Kenton neighborhood and then from the area of North Marine Drive and Portland Road .
Police said the crowd was hostile as officers moved in and some people threw lit fireworks from above. Street racing participants also surrounded officers who tried to make traffic stops, Burley said. No officer was injured, he said.
At the various locations Sunday night, police pulled over 15 cars, towed 10 vehicles and made four arrests, according to initial estimates. Eight drivers fled from officers, police said.
The day before, officers spent 10 hours on a mission looking for street racers after seeing events advertised on social media. They pulled over 29 drivers, towed six cars and made two arrests, ending the mission around midnight. Some street racing crowds then gathered later in the wee hours at several places around town, Burley said.
Police didn’t know about the Lloyd Center event Sunday evening, Burley said, noting that groups have been using private channels to communicate. But officers were out looking for street racers in the Lloyd area, a common spot for the gatherings, and alerted others when they saw people begin to congregate, Burley said.
Police received no reports of injuries at any of the weekend racing events, he said.
Past street races in Portland have been deadly. People have gotten shot, including a 20-year-old Vancouver man who died in 2022. The same year, a 26-year-old woman died after a street racer crashed into her as she waited at a Portland bus stop. Burley said a 17-year-old passenger died last year when the driver of a car performing donuts flipped on its side.
Some takeovers have proved difficult for police to effectively address as they battle staffing challenges and have to respond to other 911 calls. On Sunday night, Burley said officers weren’t able to respond to emergency calls “in as timely fashion” because they were addressing street racing events.
Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian /OregonLive.
Reach him at 503-221-4323, zshaikh@oregonian.com or on X@zaeemshake.
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
