A man has been charged with murder in a fatal collision that happened Friday in St. Johns.
On March 19th around 3:30 pm the Portland Police say 29-year-old Roy Bennett Jr. intentionally drove his car into a 57-year-old person near the intersection of N Crawford and Pittsburg (near Cathedral Park).
This incident was initially reported as a hit-and-run. Today the Multnomah County District Attorney announced that Bennett has been charged with one count of murder in the second degree, failure to perform the duties of a driver (hit-and-run), and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The victim succumbed to their injuries today (3/22). Their name has not yet been officially released.
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Bennett is accused of “intentionally crashing into the victim,” while operating a stolen car says the DA statement.
The suspect is the same man involved in a 2016 hit-and-run that happened just two miles away from Friday’s incident. According to a story published September 9th, 2016 by the University of Portland Beacon, Bennett was arrested after he crashed his car into another driver and fled the scene by foot. That collision happened on N Willamette Blvd near N Olin. Bennett was driving a stolen car in that crash too.
The PPB and DA are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact Detective Ryan Foote at Ryan.Foote@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0781, or Detective Travis Law at Travis.Law@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0395. You can also use the District Attorney’s Case Tip Line at 503-988-0340 or CaseTips@mcda.us
UPDATE, 3/23 at 4:45 pm: PPB have released the victim’s name. He has been identified as 57-year-old Errol Rees, of Washington County.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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