Police: Portland man arrested for driving 122 mph on highway

A Portland man was arrested Sunday morning for allegedly driving 122 mph on state Highway 14.

A Washougal police officer driving on the highway spotted a 2011 BMW X5 traveling east at about 8:30 a.m. The BMW was passing vehicles and traveling at a high rate of speed, police said.

Officers used radar equipment to determine the BMW was traveling 122 mph on the highway, which has a speed limit of 55 mph.

Two police officers teamed up to stop the vehicle and arrested the driver, Robert Warren Carlson, 66, on suspicion of reckless driving, according to police.

He was booked into the Clark County Jail, and his BMW was towed from the scene and impounded.

“It is one of the fastest speeds we’ve seen and been able to stop,” Washougal Detective Kate Tierney said.

Usually, when motorists call 911 to report other drivers speeding, law enforcement are at a disadvantage.

“We may not be able to catch up to them when they’re doing that fast of speed,” Tierney said. But it worked out this time, she said, because “the officer was able to spot it by himself and another officer was farther down on (Highway) 14.”

The maximum penalty for reckless driving, a gross misdemeanor, is 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000