Andres Niño had finished his work in a restoration truck in northeast Portland on Friday evening when he heard what looked like an explosion.
He then rushed towards the sound to a pâté of houses in the family cart, Niños Birriaria. His father, Silverio Niño Guatemala, had just left his car with his girlfriend. In Northeast Prescott Street and 70th Avenue, Andres Niño saw that the driver of a Ford Focus had put himself in his father’s car.
Andres Niño said tears buried in his eyes when he witnessed the accident. “It was just crazy to see my father like that,” he said. “At the beginning, I didn’t know what to do.”
A few times earlier in the evening, a Portland police officer tried to stop traffic on the driver of Ford, Rafael Gonzalez, 29, who had mandates for his arrest as part of two Duii.
An officer spotted Gonzalez recklessly leading and tried to remove it, but Gonzalez moved away, going at least twice the displayed speed limit, according to the judicial archives.
Police said that she had not prosecuted Gonzalez, although last year, the police office softened their restrictions on activities to discourage people from escaping.
Instead, the officer turned off his bridges above and followed remotely, according to the police. A police surveillance plane also dragged Gonzalez.
The police define a prosecution as an active attempt by an officer to stop a suspect or to monitor the pace in a car, when the suspect makes an active effort to resist. According to the police, this does not include the use of an airplane, follow -up or the efforts of the agents to put themselves in position before a suspect.
Police said they thought Gonzalez was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The police found several containers and beer in his car, according to the judicial archives.
Silverio Niño Guatemala’s car after a man suspected of driving drunk and fleeing the police struck the driver’s side in northeast Portland on Friday. February 21, 2025.With the kind permission of Silverio Niño
In August, Gonzalez pleaded guilty of conduct under the influence of intoxicating substances and two charges of reckless endangerment, but he did not appear in court and was not sentenced in this case of the County of Columbia.
“It is very difficult to protect the community from people who are chronic or frequent delinquents of the dui,” said the County District of Columbia, Joshua Pond. “In a case like this, we have placed it several times in detention, there have been suspensions and yet it was released and commits crimes. There is a limited amount of options and resources. »»
Niño Guatemala and her girlfriend, Julie Parra, were taken to the hospital with concussions and other injuries and were released on Wednesday, according to the younger son of the man. Silverio Niño and his older brother, Andres, are grateful that their father and parra survived the accident.
Events are a vagueness of the couple, who both underwent concussion, said Silverio Niño.
The brothers lost their mother in 2021. It was she who persuaded Niño Guatemala and her sons to open their restoration truck, Niños Birriaria, that year.
“After her death, this is one of the things we wanted to do, especially to remember her,” said Silverio Niño.
He and his four brothers and sisters have lived all their lives in Portland, and their father has been here for 30 years. He and Andres took after him by becoming a cook and wanting to work in a restaurant.
Many elements of the menu are related to their family roots in Guerrero, Mexico. They serve a platform of Niños, the tequitos of Silverado and the Guerrero Nachos.
With their father who always recovered from the accident, Andres and Silverio have assumed his functions, including the manufacture of the Birria. The family has launched a fundraising to help pay medical bills and a new car.
Since the days, the return customers and residents of the neighborhood have stopped in the truck, questioning the brothers their father and depositing cards and flowers.
“It means a lot for us,” said Silverio Niño. “It shows that they treat us like a family.”
– Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland police office and questions of criminal justice for Oregonian / Oregonlive. Reach it at 503-221-4323, zshaikh@oregonian.com or on x @Zaeemshake