Driver Arrested After Causing Head On Crash With PPB Officers

On Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 7:15 p.m., Portland Police officers assigned to East Precinct reported that they had been involved in a crash at Northeast Halsey Street and Northeast 129^th Place and requested emergency medical services. The officers were able to get out of their damaged vehicle, assess the injuries of the involved driver, and request assistance.

Both officers and the driver of the other vehicle were taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Portland Police Traffic Division officers investigated the crash. The investigation revealed that the involved driver was driving a 2008 Toyota Prius eastbound on Northeast Halsey Street and made a left turn onto northbound Northeast 129 Place in front of the officers' vehicle, which was westbound Northeast Halsey Street. The officers were not responding to a call at the time, and their police lights were not activated. The crash was nearly head-on, but the officer was able to brake and lower the speed of the crash. Still, the impact pushed the patrol SUV into a fence, damaging the fence, some landscaping, and a vehicle parked in the driveway. Both vehicles had to be towed.

The involved driver, Zachary Kwok Lee, 47, of Portland, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants-Alcohol and Reckless Driving, and he was served with a traffic citation for Dangerous Left Turn and Expired Registration. The case number is 25-307199.

The officers involved were treated and released from the hospital and are recovering at home.

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