— SHPD photo
Sweet Home police arrested a Monroe man Saturday morning, April 4, after they responded to a rollover crash at the intersection of Main Street and 1st Avenue, next to Clover Memorial Park.
According to police, officers arrived at the scene at approximately 9:18 a.m. to find a gold 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer on its roof, blocking part of 1st Avenue.
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District personnel responded and evaluated the driver, Justin Russell Jr., 22, of Monroe. Russell complained of pain but declined transport to the hospital.
According to police, Russell’s vehicle was eastbound on Main when it left the highway and hit a rock retaining wall at Clover Park, then went airborne and cleared the creek embankment running through the park, rolling multiple times.
Russell was arrested for reckless driving and his vehicle was towed.
According to police, witnesses reported Russell had been driving at a high rate of speed as his vehicle entered the west city limits just before the crash, which damaged not only city property but the ODOT facility at 1st and Main.
— SHPD photo
Russell told police he had been involved in a road-rage incident with an unknown red pickup truck on Highway 20 between Sweet Home and Lebanon prior to the crash. Anyone who witnessed the crash or the road rage incident before it is asked to contact Officer Cody McPherson at (541) 367-5181 or [email protected] and reference case 202602296. Police are also interested in any dash cam video that witnesses may have recorded.
Police are asking the public to call 911 if they witness a road rage incident, which can result in crashes involving injury or death.