Portland man admits shooting 10 traffic safety cameras, receives two-year jail sentence and probation

Guilty plea closes case tied to late-spring 2024 string of shootings at city camera sites

A Portland man has pleaded guilty in Multnomah County Circuit Court to charges stemming from a two-week spree in 2024 that knocked out multiple automated traffic enforcement cameras across the city and caused extensive property damage. The case centered on gunfire directed at camera equipment installed on public streets, incidents that investigators said repeatedly put the public at risk of stray rounds.

The defendant, Chase P. Grijalva, admitted to first-degree criminal mischief and unlawful use of a weapon related to damage at 10 traffic safety camera locations. The shootings occurred in late May and early June 2024, during a period when police publicly sought help identifying a suspect linked to a series of similar incidents.

In a separate sentencing outcome reported this week, Multnomah County Judge Andrew Lavin imposed a sentence of two years in jail followed by five years of formal probation. Court records and investigative reporting also describe an undated handwritten manifesto recovered during the investigation that used religious references and described an intent to “destroy the eyes of extortion,” language prosecutors have connected to the camera-targeting motive described in the case.

Arrest followed reports of repeated gunfire vandalism across multiple neighborhoods

Portland Police Bureau investigators previously said the incidents involved a driver pulling over near camera installations and firing multiple shots at equipment before leaving the area. Police initially announced the pattern after multiple reports of damaged city property, and released surveillance video from one of the incidents dated May 27, 2024.

Grijalva was taken into custody in June 2024 after officers located him in southeast Portland. At the time of booking, police listed multiple counts connected to criminal mischief and unlawful use of a weapon. Authorities estimated the losses at more than $500,000, reflecting the costs of damaged camera hardware and related infrastructure.

• Timeframe of incidents: late May to early June 2024
• Case scope: 10 camera locations named in the guilty plea
• Estimated damage: more than $500,000
• Sentence: two years in jail and five years of formal probation

Case highlights tensions around automated enforcement while focusing attention on public-safety risks

Portland’s speed and intersection safety cameras are a central component of the city’s Vision Zero strategy to reduce serious crashes and fatalities. The shootings repeatedly took place on open streets, a factor that investigators emphasized as a safety concern independent of the property damage. No injuries were reported in connection with the camera shootings.

In multiple incidents described in the investigative record, shots were fired near active travel lanes during early morning and daytime hours.

The guilty plea and sentencing bring a measure of closure to a case that disrupted enforcement at several sites and required repairs and replacements. City officials have previously stated that the camera network is intended to influence driver behavior and support traffic-safety goals, while the criminal case focused on the unlawful use of a firearm and the destruction of public equipment.