A truck driver drove through barriers at the Portland Rose Festival parade Saturday, nearly hitting several people. No one was hurt.
In a press release, the Portland Police Bureau said an officer on a motorcycle saw parade goers running out of the street and screaming, trying to get his attention. The officer then saw someone in a pickup truck driving east on Northeast Weidler Street, within the route of the Grand Floral Parade.
The driver refused to stop, leading the officer on a chase through Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Wasco Street. The release says the driver nearly struck several people, including the officer. The release describes volunteers and families diving out of the way to avoid getting hit.
The driver eventually stopped near Northeast 24th Avenue and Northeast Clackamas Street. Police arrested 42-year-old Sidney Sean Mecham of Portland under several charges, including recklessly endangering people, disorderly conduct and attempting to elude officers. Mecham was also charged for an earlier, unrelated hit-and-run case; police didn’t provide details of that incident.
Portland police are asking anyone who was directly endangered at the parade to contact the bureau.