Man accused of driving pickup into Portland Grand Floral Parade route pleads not guilty

The man accused of driving his pickup past a barricade and through Portland's Grand Floral Parade on Saturday appeared in a Multnomah County courtroom Monday.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Sidney Sean Mecham, 42, pleaded not guilty to several charges, including reckless endangering and attempting to elude police.

Police say Mecham came from northbound Interstate 5 and then drove up a hillside to get around two ODOT trucks before entering the parade route, driving directly toward families and through a barricade.

A Portland Police officer quickly chased after the truck, but Mecham did not stop.

Areff Mohammed Ali, who recorded the incident, describes a frightening scene as Mecham’s pickup drives into the parade route and heads toward his family.

“He wasn't just lost in the middle of the parade or anything. I saw his eyes and I saw his face and you can see there was some sort of road-raging going on and like he was angry at the situation,” said Ali.

Mecham's attorney offered up an explanation for what happened during Monday’s court hearing.

"While certainly, the driving described is very concerning, the statements made by Mr. Mecham suggest somebody who was disoriented and trying to get out of a difficult situation who might may not have handled it as well as they might but did ultimately remove themselves from that situation," the attorney said.

READ MORE: https://katu.com/news/local/man-accus...

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