High Speed Race of over 120 MPH North of Woodburn Leads to Two Arrest

The drivers did not know each other

Left: Nicholas Phillips Right: Valentin Khalaman Photograph Source: Marion County Sheriff's Office

(WOODBURN, Ore.) - Two men involved in speed racing on Interstate 5 north of Woodburn Sunday morning both ended up back at a Salem-area jail after they were stopped and arrested following speeds that reach in excess of 120 mph.

On October 3, 2010 at approximately 10:45 a.m. Oregon State Police (OSP) Trooper Andrew Goffrier was patrolling northbound on Interstate 5 near Woodburn in an unmarked OSP ADEP (Aggressive Driving Enforcement Program) patrol car. As Goffrier was driving in the right northbound lane near milepost 273 he saw a red 1994 BMW 325i car coming up from behind at a high rate of speed. The BMW, followed by a silver 2004 Dodge Neon, slowed down briefly as both vehicles passed the unmarked OSP car and then took off at speeds nearing 100 mph.

Goffrier accelerated in an attempt to move into position to stop the vehicles, observing both to drive recklessly and at one point reaching speeds over 120 mph.

Goffrier was able to stop the BMW as it exited Interstate 5 near milepost 283 in the south Wilsonville area. The car's driver, Valentin V. Khalaman, age 25, from Salem, was arrested for Reckless Driving and booked at the Marion County Jail. Khalaman was also cited for Speed Racing and Exceeding the Speed Limit in Excess of 100 mph in a 65 mph speed zone.

The Dodge Neon continued northbound on Interstate 5 and was stopped nine miles north by a Clackamas County deputy after seeing the car that matched the description provided by OSP. The Dodge's driver, Nicholas R. Phillips, age 21, from Albany, was turned over to another OSP trooper and taken back to Marion County Jail where he was also booked for Reckless Driving and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. Phillips was also cited for Speed Racing and Exceeding the Speed Limit in Excess of 100 mph in a 65 mph speed zone.

The drivers did not know each other.