Video shows man driving on MAX tunnel tracks

Video shows man driving on MAX tunnel tracks

A still from the video shows the car coming into the Zoo station inside the tunnel.

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Story Published: Feb 20, 2008 at 10:13 AM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 20, 2008 at 2:39 PM PDT

By KATU Web Staff

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PORTLAND, Ore. - Security camera video released  Tuesday shows a suspected drunk driver motoring down MAX light rail tracks inside a long tunnel.

Police said Steve Stein, 54, drove his white Pontiac sedan for nearly a mile on the tracks last Saturday, causing about $60,000 in damage. The car stopped near the underground Zoo station.

TriMet officials said they will be billing Stein's insurance company to cover the cost of repairs and worker overtime.

The video shows Stein driving his car along the tracks followed by a haze of smoke and debris.

A TriMet employee who was in the tunnel and opened the door of the car after it stopped said music was blaring at high volume.

"It [the car] was in pretty bad shape. I don't know how he got it that far," TriMet Field Operation Manager Jay Jackson told KATU News. "There was at least three flat tires that I could tell at that point - and it was wedged between the tracks. It was just amazing. I couldn't believe how that guy got in there."

There are no barriers to entering the tunnel, which begins near the Goose Hollow MAX station in southwest Portland. The MAX light rail tracks use concrete ties in the tunnel rather than the traditional wood ties.

Stein faces multiple charges including DUII and reckless driving.

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