High-speed chase near Dundee ends with suspect’s arrest on July 13

A Portland man who police say fled the scene of a potentially lethal accident near Dundee last week has found himself on the wrong side of the law.

Joel Almaras Estrada, 23, was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving, driving while suspended or revoked, first-degree criminal trespass and failure to perform the duties of a driver involved in an accident.

The charges stem from an incident that transpired just after noon on July 13 in Dundee. According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Newberg-Dundee Officer Zane Rise, police dispatch alerted officers of a motorist driving erratically on Highway 99W near Parks Drive.

“I observed a white Ford Mustang northbound on Highway 99W from Southwest Fifth Street,” Rise wrote. “The Mustang quickly made an unlawful U-turn to travel southbound on Highway 99W. I engaged my overhead emergency lights to stop the Mustang.”

Estrada increased his speed “and crossed into the oncoming lane to pass vehicles,” Rise wrote, adding that “there were many other vehicles on the road causing heavy traffic” and that drivers of some of those vehicles traveled “off the paved roadway onto the road shoulder to avoid collision with the Mustang.”

Rise continued to give chase, reaching speeds of more than 80 mph, but Estrada was pulling away.

“I estimated the Mustang was being driven at least 100 mph” and “the Mustang was being driven in a manner which placed other people on the road in danger of their safety,” Rise wrote in the affidavit.

Rise ended his pursuit of Estrada, silenced his siren and turned off his emergency lights, before continuing southbound on 99W. It wasn’t long before it was clear Estrada had crashed.

“As I passed Northeast Trunk Road on Highway 99W, I observed heavy dust and smoke clouding the highway to the south,” Rise wrote.

The heavily damaged Mustang was found crashed after crossing the median on the highway south of Gun Club Road. Estrada was nowhere to be found, initially, but Rise spotted an individual running onto private property southeast of the crash site.

A caller reported to NDPD dispatch that they had spotted someone walking on the railroad tracks east of the highway. The man was spotted using the department’s drone, then Rise contacted Estrada in a field east of the railroad tracks and arrested him. Video obtained later from a witness showed Estrada running from the crashed Mustang, Rise said.

“I learned a witness reported the Mustang driven by (Estrada) had collided with the witness’ vehicle before (Estrada) ran from the Mustang,” Rise wrote. “The witness reported damage to their vehicle from the collision. (Estrada) made no attempt to contact the owner of the damaged vehicle.”

Estrada was arraigned on the charges July 15 before Judge Ilisa Rooke-Key. Prosecutor in the case is Deputy District Attorney Meuy Fou Chao and Rooke-Key appointed McMinnville attorney Kiyana Parvas as defense counsel. Estrada received conditional release on July 16 and is slated to appear in court to face an indictment on July 22.