Drunken driving suspect hits MCSO deputy vehicle, closes I-84

Published 12:01 pm Thursday, March 6, 2025

A Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy faces no reported injuries after his patrol car was crashed into by a suspected drunken driver on Wednesday night, March 5.

Neither the deputy nor the alleged drunken driver suffered serious injuries after being taken to the hospital. 

Around 9:30 p.m., the marked patrol SUV was idling eastbound on the shoulder of Interstate 84 near the Northeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard exit for a reported traffic stop. 

Police said the deputy used his vehicle’s public address system to instruct the driver to pull forward to the freeway exit due to the shoulder being narrow and close to the lanes of travel.

Within seconds, the driver of a 2018 Jeep Compass SUV struck the backside of the patrol car with the deputy still inside, according to a press release. The impact reportedly sent the Jeep spinning back onto the freeway. 

The alleged driver, Jose Juan Alvarez, 49, of Beaverton, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants. He also was served with traffic violation citations for failure to maintain his lane, careless driving contributing to an accident and failure to install an ignition interlock device.

Due to debris and vehicles strewn across the lanes, I-84 was shut down and reopened to traffic around 11:30 p.m.