This bust is part of an ongoing effort to crack down on street racers

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland Police is cracking down on illegal street racing. Over the weekend, officers arrested four people and towed away three cars. PPB, along with other law enforcement agencies, is dedicating more resources to address the problem.

“It’s extremely dangerous when these cars are moving at such great speeds, such power, and so close together,” said Capt. Tony Passadore of PPB’s North Precinct. “In response to the April 12th occurrence, we put together a larger mission than we have historically in the past.”

When the weather gets nice, there’s a problem in Portland: illegal street racers shut down highways to drift. This is what happened on the Fremont Bridge a little more than a week ago. Cars were backed up on the top deck and smoke plumed from racers spinning out.

Over the weekend, PPB, Oregon State Police, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, and Portland Park Rangers were out patrolling to help put an end to the issue.

“Our goal isn’t to arrest a lot of people — it’s to educate people and get them to stop on their own,” said Passadore.

On Sunday night, officers made 12 traffic stops, issued 24 traffic citations, towed three cars, and arrested four people. Three of those arrested have been identified by authorities, however, the fourth was a 17-year-old. Jaren Jacobsen, 24, Mystar Russell, 19, and Kevin Garcia, 18, were all arrested for reckless driving and reckless endangerment.

Jaren Jacobsen, Mystar Russell and Kevin Garcia were all arrested in a Portland street racing bust on April 19, 2020. (MCSO)

“We will have the entire traffic division Sunday evenings focusing on this problem,” said Passadore. “Above 25 uniformed officers focusing on this problem every single day, especially on the weekends, for the foreseeable future.”

Driving recklessly can be deadly. This year, 13 people have died in car-related deaths in Portland.