PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland, Oregon, man has been arrested after leading authorities on a chase in a stolen Knight-Swift bobtail semi.
According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened at around 9 a.m. on Monday, June 10, when Jesus “Jessie” Meza-Sanchez, 39, refused to pull the rig over during an attempted traffic stop.
Meza-Sanchez then allegedly crossed the Columbia River into Washington, hitting numerous cars while eluding police, according to officials.
At one point, police used tire spikes, which punctured several of the rig’s tires; however, Meza-Sanchez kept driving, using emergency lanes to head north on Interstate 205.
Around 10:15 a.m. the truck stopped on I-205 near northeast Burton Road with most of its tires completely shredded, but neither Meza-Sanchez nor his female passenger responded to orders to leave the truck.
Authorities said Meza-Sanchez showed “aggressive behavior,” and they decided to close I-205 between Mill Plain and SR-500 as a public safety measure.
Both Meza-Sanchez and the woman left the truck on their own around 11:30 a.m., and I-205 was re-opened by noon.
Meza-Sanchez faces multiple charges; the female passenger was released without charges.
Video below allegedly shows Meza-Shanchez ramming the stolen rig into Oregon police after deputies caught up with the stolen truck in Blue Lake Park. A deputy was injured.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
This is the downfall of having automatics in trucks these days.
Yeah, any idiot can put one in gear and go. It was a Knight truck however, speeds must have reached nearly 62 miles an hour.