October 26, 2023

Decisive Dash Cam Footage Show’s Road Rager Plowing Through Portland Parade

What was supposed to be a day of fun, flowers and sunshine became a jaw-dropping near-death experience for the attendees of Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade in Portland, running out of the way.

Last June 10, Sidney Mecham was arrested after driving his Chevy Avalanche pick-up truck through the closed barricades of the parade, causing road rage and nearly hitting innocent families and children along his way. And how can we say this so definitively? Because he caught it all on his own 3-channel dashcam.

POV: The Public Eye

According to the Portland Police Bureau, an officer was notified that a man had driven his pickup truck through the parade route. The officer then sought to stop the individual driving east on Northeast Weidler Street ahead of him, but Mecham continued south on Northeast MLK Jr Boulevard without stopping. The officer, who was riding a motorcycle, approached the truck and ordered Mecham to stop, but he refused.

After that, the policeman attempted to stop him once more by getting in front of the truck, but Mecham made an abrupt turn onto Northeast Wasco Street, straight in front of families waiting for the parade, with the officer stating that multiple persons were "in danger of being struck". As the rage continued, Mecham slammed through a barricade, forcing people to move quickly to avoid being hit. The dangerous pursuit was continued by the motorcycle, along with an unmarked police SUV.

Sidney Mecham eventually parked his vehicle, and was later arrested and charged with reckless endangering another person, disorderly conduct, attempting to avoid police, reckless driving, and hit-and-run in an unrelated instance. Worse, he was driving on a suspended license and didn’t have insurance, the police added.

And the plot thickens…

After the incident, Mecham was then put into jail, awaiting trial. He has also pleaded Not Guilty to 38 counts, including the felony unlawful use of a weapon.

While the incident happened on the 10th of June 2023, it was only at the end of October 2023 when authorities released this never-before-seen video that provided new insights into the case.

For his preventative detention hearing, the authorities have obtained the actual scenario Mecham has been involved in through a series of dash cam footage. Ironically, the full-length road rage was not captured by the dash cams of other cars on the scene, nor the dash cams of the police cars – it was actually Mecham’s own dash cam that captured evidence against himself.

Moment of Truth: What the dash cam has revealed

The 30-minute video features three angles – front-facing, rear-view, and inside the truck's cabin. Mecham was first spotted leaving his residence in Southeast Portland. While driving downtown, he commits a number of traffic violations, including speeding and running multiple red lights.

Beyond that, the dashcam footage shows the 42-year old driver becoming progressively enraged because of blocked off exits. "I'm on my way to the f****** Rose Garden!", Mecham said in a call. It was also found out that he was going to meet his mother and the caller. The verbal statement was heard because the dash cam had its audio recording on.

To help keep traffic away from the parade route, ODOT crews had shut off several exits with dump trucks, signage, and barriers. Mecham noticed this, where he was heard on a second phone call in the video.

“They got it all blocked off. The Lloyd Center exit. The Convention Center exit. Every mother f***ing exit!” While on the phone, Mecham screamed and honked his horn repeatedly, mocking ODOT employees.

The dash cam footage revealed Mecham swerving around a car and driving over a row of cones blocking the exit. He passed an "Event in Progress" reader board and drove up onto the ivy-covered shoulder to avoid ODOT dump trucks blocking the ramp. He also drove around another ODOT worker and their trucks before passing several people waiting for the parade, including several little children who were playing in the highway.

In Times of Danger, Dash Cams Don’t Lie

Sidney Mecham and the Grand Floral Parade case is another saved-by-a-dash-cam story. While the raging man pleaded not guilty, the dash cam footage showed that there’s no other person responsible in this tragic incident but him. You can lie to someone, but never to a dash cam.

For us, it’s still interesting to think that Mecham chose to install a dash cam in his pick-up truck for his safety, considering that he didn’t choose a front-only dash cam, but a triple-channel dash cam! Unfortunately, just like what the public is now telling about the incident, Mecham just saved the authorities a lot of time collecting evidence against him.

Nobody wants this incident to happen again, and having the all-around protection of a dash cam can save time, money, energy, and lives.

And for this story, it proves that justice?
It’s served sweetly in high definition with a triple-channel.

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