Posted: April 4th, 2008 12:17 PM
Photo: Casey Joseph Graham
LAKE OSWEGO -- Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Milwaukie man after he led them on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle -- and crashed into a City of Lake Oswego sign -- on Thursday morning at 2:14 a.m., April 3.Suspect and Milwaukie resident CASEY JOSEPH GRAHAM (DOB 1/17/1987) reportedly drove in such a fashion that he endangered other motorists -- including one who was nearly broadsided by Graham after the suspect lost control of the stolen vehicle and crashed into a large wooden sign, owned by the City of Lake Oswego, at the intersection of SW Kruse Way and SW Boones Ferry Rd.
The crash damaged the sign and several feet of the chain-link fence behind it.
The pursuit began Thursday, April 3 shortly after 2 a.m. -- when a deputy traveling southbound on I-205 routinely ran the plates on a black Honda Civic 4-door traveling in the same direction.
The vehicle, it turned out, had been reported as stolen on March 31.
The deputy slowed down and began following the Civic. After being joined by sufficient additional units, the deputy activated emergency lights to stop the vehicle. Instead, the vehicle -- driven by the sole occupant, Mr. Graham -- sped up in an attempt to elude pursuing units.
At one point, Graham was reportedly driving in excess of 100 mph.
The chase went from I-205 southbound to I-5 northbound, leaving I-5 and the Hwy. 217/Kruse Way exit and blowing through a red light to travel eastbound on Kruse Way. On Kruse Way, the Honda accelerated to approximately 75-75 mph.
At the intersection of Kruse Way and Boones Ferry, the suspect vehicle narrowly missed broadsiding a taxicab that was entering the intersection. The suspect, skidding into that intersection, reportedly locked up the Honda's brakes, jumped the curb, went under an approximately 5'x8' wooden City of Lake Oswego sign, and crashed into a chain-link retaining fence, where the vehicle came to rest.
After the crash, deputies approached the car. Suspect Casey Graham was compliant as he was removed from the vehicle and arrested. Medical personnel responded to the crash scene, but Graham was determined to be uninjured.
A responding deputy reports that, during questioning, Mr. Graham "repeatedly made comments about how sorry he was, and how he couldn't believe he wasn't killed in the crash."
Casey Joseph Graham was transported to Clackamas County Jail and lodged on charges that include: