Men, with guns, captured in Lents

Several blocks of an outer East Portland neighborhood are closed down for five hours, as officers hunted for men – potentially home invaders – armed with guns …

After finding a gun in a Land Rover abandoned by a fleeing quartet of suspects near Bloomington Park in the Lents neighborhood, police close down streets and set up a dragnet.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

On a dead-end stub of SE Liebe Street near 102^nd Avenue, not far from Bloomington Park in the Lents neighborhood, residents called the 9-1-1 Center on the afternoon of December 19, after spying a suspicious vehicle.

When Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers arrived at 2:38 p.m., the driver of a snazzy Land Rover headed west, only to discover that the street didn’t go through. With the escape route cut off, the four men inside bolted from the vehicle.

A PPB East Precinct sergeant keeps a sharp eye out for suspects near SE 104th Avenue and Steele Street.

Surprisingly, the quartet of fleeing suspects all stayed together as they ran south – but one of the men was taken into custody less than two blocks away, near SE 105th Avenue and Steele Street.

Officers at the scene updated arriving police units, and soon, more than a dozen squad cars were in the area.

Found in the abandoned Land Rover, officers say, was this .45 caliber Taurus handgun that a suspect left behind. PPB provided image

“As some officers searched for the remaining three suspects, others learned that the Land Rover was reported stolen,” reported PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Chris Burley. “As officers searched the stolen vehicle, they located and seized a handgun.”

Neighbors began calling 9-1-1, reporting men leaping over back fences and running through yards, which helped the police command staff focus the search.

“One of the callers reported seeing a person, matching one of the suspects’ descriptions, drop a firearm and quickly pick it back up, before running from the yard,” Burley said.

More officers come into the area, looking for potentially-armed men, one of whom reportedly tried to force his way into a neighbor’s home.

Even more disturbing, Burley said, a resident called to report a stranger trying to break into their home.

Officers locked down the area from SE 104th to 108th Avenue, and SE Mitchell to Harold Street.

With police command staff learning that at least one of the missing suspects was armed, the PPB Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) was summoned. Before long, 41 police cruisers were swarming the area, searching for the suspects, yard-by-yard.

As evening falls, SERT officers, and one of their transport units, arrives in the neighborhood.

During the investigation, officers discovered a second stolen vehicle near the abandoned Land Rover.

The second of the four missing suspects was arrested near SE 105th Avenue and Mitchell Street; and the third one was picked up at near where the first suspect had been arrested, SE 104^th Avenue at Steele Street.

After an exhaustive search of the area, and after the capture of three suspects, SERT officers prepare to stand down.

The search continued after sunset; at 6:51 p.m., Burley said SERT members were continuing their search for the outstanding suspect. “Suspects often try to hide in small spaces, [they] may try to hide underneath a porch, or in a shed; so we want to be very thorough in this search,” Burley told reporters, north of the scene, near SE Holgate Boulevard.

At 7:22 p.m. the search was called off, and SERT personnel began to pack up and leave the area.

Hoping police wouldn’t find it, a suspect tosses this Glock handgun, with a 30-round-capacity magazine, into a yard. They found it. PPB provided image

“The second gun recovered by officers was located in a yard of a residence along SE 104th Avenue near Mitchell Street; the firearm was reported stolen, and had a 30-round-capacity magazine,” Simpson later said.

Being held for parole violation is 20-year-old Jutorey D. Scott. MCDC booking photo

One of the four arrested was 20-year-old Jutorey D. Scott, who was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 8:19 p.m. that evening on a Parole Violation charge. After his arraignment the following day, Scott learned he’d be held without bail; he remains in custody at the MCDC.

This 18-year-old, booked as “Mr. R. Ford”, faces numerous charges, but the judge set him free. MCDC booking photo

As unlikely as it sounds, an 18-year-old suspect was booked as “Mr. R. Ford” into the MCDC at 8:45 p.m. on charges of Theft in the First Degree, Possession of a Loaded Firearm, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. At his arraignment, “Mr. Ford” learned he’d face the one Felony and Misdemeanor charges. His combined bail was set at $10,000 and “Mr. Ford” is was lodged at MCDC overnight.

However, a Multnomah County Court judge set “Mr. Ford” free on December 20. Release Reason: Court Ordered Release.

The third suspect taken into custody during the neighborhood search was identified as a juvenile, and he was lodged at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Home. The fourth is still missing, and is still being sought.

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