Portland/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on April 30, 2024
Cornelius Woman Nabbed After Chaotic Car Chase and Multiple Crashes in Washington CountySource: Washington County Sheriff's Office

A Washington County wild ride ended in cuffs Sunday after a crazed motorist caused two crashes and led cops on a high-speed chase. According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Cornelius local Lisa L. Sullivan, 39, first smashed her 2007 Dodge Charger into a 1997 Ford F150 at around 5:33 p.m., then fled the crash scene, leaving the other driver with minor injuries.

Deputies responding to the chaos wasted no time. One assisted the Ford’s battered driver, who was later taken to a hospital by a relative, while the other sniffed out the trail of the fleeing Dodge. Reports flooded 911 of Sullivan's white Charger gunning it recklessly north out of Cornelius, sparks flying as it ran on one rim.

The second act of Sullivan's demolition derby unfolded at 5:40 p.m., with her Charger colliding with a 2016 Mercedes sedan at Highway 47 and NW Verboort Rd. She again chose flight over penance, leaving the Mercedes driver to nurse minor wounds and seek a private ride to the hospital herself.

A Forest Grove sergeant soon spotted the Dodge, initiating a pursuit that clocked Sullivan tearing through traffic at heart-stopping speeds of up to 80 mph. A Sheriff’s deputy eventually intervened, pulling off a PIT maneuver which sent Sullivan's vehicle tumbling down an embankment into a farm field. Defiant to the end, she emerged from her wrecked Charger, and tried to escape on foot, but was tackled by deputies and arrested at 5:56 p.m.

The getaway driver ended the evening handcuffed and hospitalized for checks before facing the music. The charges are two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude police, two counts of felony failure to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons (hit and run causing injury), and one count each of reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person.

The Sheriff's Office, in a display of professional gratitude, thanked the Forest Grove Police Department for their assistance in wrapping up a potentially deadly situation without further harm to the public or officers involved.