Police would later arrest the man and are using his own dashcam footage against him in court
2 hours ago
On June 10th, Sidney Mecham, 42, of Portland decided that instead of abiding by traffic laws he would drive around barricades and through an active parade route. Police would arrest him later that day and charge him with a number of crimes. Now, Mecham’s own dashcam is a part of the evidence against him and it’s pretty damning.
Mecham is seen on his dashcam yelling about the traffic delays caused by the Rose Festival’s Grand Floral parade route. “They got it all blocked off! The Lloyd Center exit! The Convention Center exit! Every exit!” he screams. His emotional outburst is accompanied by colorful language and a cacophony of car horns, all of which is clearly audible in the recording from his truck.
At one point he simply decides to go around barriers so that he can drive where he wants to. That requires him to pilot his truck up and onto grassy embankments and directly over numerous safety cones. As soon as he enters the parade route pedestrians and spectators can be heard screaming. Moments later it appears as though he recognizes the weight of his mistake as he seems to look for an exit on the route.
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When that exit doesn’t appear quickly, he seems to decide that he’ll just continue on until there’s an easier option. A policeman on a motorcycle shows up moments later and Mecham yells at the officer that he’s trying to get off of the route. As the officer rides up just ahead of the truck Mecham finds a way to cut out of the parade route.
The police give chase and appear to box Mecham in at a traffic light. He simply drives around the officer and continues on his journey. The dashcam appears to show that officers give up the pursuit at this point but despite that, Mecham seems to commit a number of traffic infractions. The video ends with Mecham parked behind another vehicle.
Police arrested him later that day and according to KGW8, he’s now facing 38 separate charges including attempting to elude an officer and felony unlawful use of a weapon. Authorities say he was driving on a suspended license and without insurance.