Woman accused of scratching 2 passing cars with knife, setting parked vehicle on fire

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A woman was arrested Thursday after allegedly running into traffic with a knife, stabbing passing cars with it and lighting an empty parked car on fire in Southwest Portland.

Elishama M. Matthews, 42, was lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center and is being charged with second-degree arson, two counts of menacing and two counts of second-degree criminal mischief.

Officers were originally called to the scene around 12:14 p.m. near Southwest Barbur Boulevard and Southwest 26th Avenue on reports of the woman wielding a knife amongst traffic. Officers soon located the woman near Southwest Spring Garden Street and Barbur Blvd.

At first, the woman began walking away from the officers. What’s more, officials said they believed the woman was having a mental health crisis. However, after some communication from the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team, police were able to convince the woman to discard the knife and surrender, PPB said.

While all this was happening, PPB and Portland Fire and Rescue responded to reports of an unoccupied parked car fully engulfed in flames around the corner, on Southwest 26th Way. Firefighters put out the flames and no one was injured, officials said.

Police said further investigation indicated Matthews set the car on fire right before they arrived. Just before then, she also carved up a pair of vehicles while they were in motion with people in them, causing them to be dented and scratched, police said.