It’s just gone past 2 a.m., and you hear a loud thud in the middle of the night. Once awake and startled, you discover that a Toyota Sequoia has crashed into your home, causing considerable damage.
This is what multiple unnamed homeowners endured on October 1 in Oregon, after a teenager reportedly fled from Beaverton Police and lost control of the SUV before crashing into their occupied townhomes.
Remarkably, despite the damage caused by the collision, none of the townhome occupants were injured.
Still, quite terrifying for a joyride.
Police Pursuit Begins
At approximately 2 a.m., a Beaverton Police patrol officer spotted the Toyota Sequoia being driven recklessly along Southwest Tualatin Valley Highway.
According to police, the officer saw the SUV make an illegal U-turn, strike a concrete median, lose control, and continue driving erratically.
The officer attempted to stop the vehicle near Southwest Tualatin Valley Highway and Southwest 178th Avenue. However, the driver reportedly failed to stop and fled northbound on Southwest 178th Avenue, running a stop sign as officers continued to pursue the SUV.
The driver lost control and crashed into occupied townhomes, resulting in two juveniles fleeing the scene after causing damage.
Two Teens Flee the Scene
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After the two juveniles fled the Toyota on foot, Beaverton Police deployed K9 Ox to search for them. Officers also received information from community members who had seen the teenagers running through the surrounding neighborhood.
K9 Ox and officers eventually located one of the teenagers, who surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident.
The second teenager later returned home and was transported to a hospital for evaluation of injuries sustained during the incident.
SUV Taken Without Permission
Officers subsequently learned that the Toyota Sequoia belonged to the parent of one of the teenagers and had allegedly been taken without permission.
The teenager believed to have been driving the SUV was lodged at a juvenile detention center.
Police said the teen faces charges of felony attempt to elude, misdemeanor attempt to elude, reckless driving, reckless endangering, failure to perform the duties of a driver involving property damage and first-degree criminal mischief.
Because the people involved are juveniles, Beaverton Police has said it will not release their names or other identifying information.
Lesson Learned?
The crash prompted some commenters to reflect on the consequences of the teenagers’ actions, while others focused on how fortunate it was that no one inside the homes was injured.
One commenter described the incident as the result of “painful poor choices,” adding that they hoped those choices would be “long past them someday” and expressing gratitude that no one was hurt.
Another commenter simply wrote, “Thank God no one in the home was injured.”
The moral of the story? Don’t take your parents’ car for a joyride in the middle of the night.