A Portland man with a bad driving history drove his pickup truck through the closed streets of the Grand Floral Parade. It was Saturday morning while children were in the streets picking up candy thrown during the parade. Sidney Sean Mecham was chased and finally caught by local police. Police said the officer saw several people “in danger of being struck” as the truck left Northeast MLK Jr Boulevard.
The 42 year old man is facing criminal charges after he had parents screaming to grab their children as he drove around 30 miles an hour as one parent told local news media. He did not stop immediately when cops started to pursue him.
Mecham was cited for a hit-and-run for an unrelated case. He was also cited for attempting to elude police and reckless driving, reckless endangering another person, disorderly conduct, driving with a suspended license, failure to obey police, and for no proof of insurance.
First, the Portland Police Bureau received a call just after 10 a.m. that a man had driven a truck through the parade route. An officer saw the man driving east on Northeast Weidler Street ahead of him and attempted to stop him but Mechum did not stop. He would not stop for the police after repeated attempts.
The man almost hit an officer on a bike that pulled ahead of him in another unsuccessful try at stopping him. He then turned onto Northeast Wasco Street which placed him directly in fron of families sitting on the curb waiting for the parade. He went through a barricade. People scattered to get out of the way as he left the parade route.
The Portland Police Air Unit stayed on him until he stopped near the intersection of Northeast 24th Avenue and Northeast Clackamas Street. He was arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. No one was injured.
