Oregon Man Sentenced for Road Rage Incident Caught on Damning Dashcam Footage from Own Vehicle

Sidney Mecham agreed to a plea deal over the June 11, 2023 incident, entering guilty pleas to 15 counts of reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and two counts of unlawful use of a vehicle as a weapon, according to Oregon Live. He was sentenced on October 1, 2024.

During the sentencing hearing, he reportedly said he would "accept the consequences" of his actions, as well as enroll in anger management and cognitive behavioral therapy while serving time.

"I caused fear to hundreds of children and their family, I acted on impulse," he said, per KPTV. "I want you to know that I’m ashamed of my actions and I'm truly sorry for the pain and fear that I've caused to the families and the City of Portland."

"I want to reassure everyone: This was not a planned attack on Portland and the Grand Floral Parade," he added, saying "This was poor planning and impulsive thinking" exacerbated by the death of his niece the night before.

A representative for the victims, meanwhile, added, "For many people, the memories of this day will remain. This was a terrifying event for attenders of the Grand Floral Parade."

The incident went down during Portland's Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade in June 2023. Video of the incident, captured from three different angles from cameras installed in Mecham's own pickup truck, showed his wild rampage in full.

The footage was initially released earlier this year, during a hearing in which prosecutors argued for Mecham's extended detention ahead of his trial. Bail was denied; he's been in police custody since his arrest.

The video shows him screaming with someone over the phone about traffic in the area, before running over cones on the highway, taking a closed off-ramp, driving on a closed shoulder and weaving through trucks, before flipping people off and screaming as he drove past them.

Eventually, he finds himself in the middle of a parade route, moments before the parade was set to begin. In the footage, he barrels through the closed-off street, which is filled with pedestrians -- both adults and children -- who are seen running and screaming for their lives. A police officer on a motorcycle is also seen trying to pull him over, to no avail.

Eventually, Mecham pulled over and was arrested. Shockingly, nobody was hurt in the incident.

During the sentencing hearing, a judge reportedly said he believed Mecham was truly apologetic about his "horrific and egregious" actions, granting him credit for time served and good behavior. He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.