Paul Rivas first appeared in court on Wednesday. He is also faced with seven cases of non-performance of a driver’s duties.
Rivas was detained after a Honda SUV racing the streets of Southeast Portland hit people on bicycles and walked along the road, and later crashed.
“During the investigation, law enforcement spoke to numerous witnesses and found that Rivas appeared to be deliberately trying to hit nearby vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians by swerving towards them while on the roadway and sidewalk,” said Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt in a statement.
Rivas, 64, of Oregon City, did not speak to the judge but could be heard in court as he spoke to his temporary counsel, Emma McDermott, who laced her with questions about the charges he was facing.
He also expressed some concern to the attorney about the fact that there were cameras in the court. “Do they have to take a picture of me today?” Rivas asked. McDermott informed him that she could not prevent the media from recording him as it was a public hearing.
According to police, Jean Gerich, 77, of Portland died after being hit.
The Oregon state medical examiner determined that Gerich died of blunt force trauma and ruled her death was a murder, the statement said.
Gerich’s family issued a statement through police stating that she has lived in Portland for a long time, mother of two and grandmother of five. “She got her first vaccination shot last week and was thrilled to go back out into the world,” the statement said.
“We are grateful for the Good Samaritans who were there,” said the family.
The scene spanned a dozen blocks
In the incident 10 people were injured, including Gerich. Police said two of them were cyclists, seven pedestrians and one victim who could not remember whether they were in or out of their vehicle when they were hit. The scene spanned more than a dozen blocks in southeast Portland, both on roads and sidewalks, officials said.
Police were first notified of an erratic driver on Monday at around noon, and the calls about injured people began shortly after 1:00 p.m. ET.
“Additional witness reports indicate that the suspect traveled about 80-100 km / h in other parts of the neighborhood while continuing his erratic driving,” police said.
The vehicle eventually crashed and the driver tried to run, but was stopped by civilians until police arrived, authorities said.