UPDATE: The suspect, identified by police as 51-year-old Rodney Jarvela, was booked Jan. 26 into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, driving under the influence, reckless driving and hit-and-run, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Pedestrians narrowly avoided being struck by a pickup being driven recklessly Monday morning in east Vancouver before it crashed into cars and two houses, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Police began receiving 911 calls around 10:20 a.m. from people reporting a man was driving a dark green pickup erratically in the Cascade Park area.
Callers said the pickup was first seen speeding through the parking lot of the Fred Meyer on Southeast Chkalov Drive. It continued into surrounding neighborhoods, at times driving in oncoming lanes or driving toward pedestrians who barely avoided being hit.
The pickup hit a parked car and city light pole before crossing the street and hitting a retaining wall in the 14100 block of Southeast McGillivray Boulevard, a police news release states. The pickup continued through the retaining wall, hitting the corner of a house’s garage, causing significant damage. The pickup also hit another parked car and pushed it out of the driveway.
The truck finally stopped after it hit another house, destroying the corner of its garage.
The driver, who is believed to have been intoxicated, crawled out of the passenger window and hid under the pickup until police arrested him, according to the news release. He was taken to a hospital for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
No one else was reported injured.
After the man is released from the hospital, he will be booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of DUI and multiple counts of hit and run, according to police. The news release did not identify the man.
Vancouver police’s Traffic Unit is continuing to investigate. The agency says anyone involved in the incident who hasn’t spoken to police yet should call 311 to make a report.
