Seven people were arrested early Monday in connection with illegal street racing in the Lloyd District, Portland police said.
Over 200 people gathered near the intersection of Northeast 13th Avenue and Multnomah Street to watch a race a little before midnight Sunday, police said.
Once officers began to disperse the crowd, shots rang out and a witness reported that someone was shooting from their car, according to police. No one reported injuries, police said in a news release.
As officers moved in, some drivers tried to run away before eventually being arrested, according to police.
The seven people arrested also had their vehicles towed, police said. All individuals were arrested on allegations of reckless driving, according to police. Some also faced additional allegations, including weapon possession and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.
Officers also saw a group of 100 or more street racers near the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Marine Drive, according to a probable cause affidavit for one of the individuals arrested.
Photos from The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier Sunday also showed a street takeover on Burnside Bridge, where onlookers watched drivers burn out and spin their cars in donuts.
Street takeovers have been a recurring issue in Portland. Last year, the City Council passed an emergency ordinance that made “unlawful street takeovers” and “unlawful staging of a street takeover” into misdemeanor offenses. The city ordinance allows police to seize the vehicles of those involved in the events.
Over the past three years, street and bridge takeovers have blocked Interstate 84, the Interstate Bridge and the Sunset Highway Tunnel, as well as many major Portland intersections. In late August, the Fremont Bridge was shut down for at least an hour as more than 100 people swarmed the freeway to watch drivers perform stunts and burn rubber.
In late March, more than 100 shots were fired at an illegal street racing event, and four people, including two teenagers and an 11-year-old boy, were injured.
