Here’s why police are still looking for suspects – and the victim, too – involved in an unusual case …
After residents of outer East Portland in the Lents neighborhood reported having a stabbing victim coming to their door for help, police respond.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
This unusual incident began on January 15 at 9:14 p.m., when dispatchers at the 9-1-1 Center received a call from a neighbor on SE Harney Street, near 86th Avenue, reporting a stabbing assault.
Five Portland Police Bureau East Precinct units were dispatched to the section of the Lents neighborhood west of the I-205 freeway to begin an investigation.
Officers speak with neighbors who heard a ruckus in the street, looking for answers to the many questions about this incident.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, there was clearly a stabbing, a smashed-up and abandoned car, and a theft of license plates from an unrelated car,” an officer told East Portland News.
Residents of a house on SE Harney Street told officers that they heard “a commotion” outside in the road, and saw a man walking up to their house, he said.
“The man started pounding on their door, shouting, ‘Let me in, please let me in, I’ve been stabbed’, to the residents inside,” the officer reported. “A male resident opened the door, and sure enough, there was a guy who clearly had been stabbed in the back.
“The wife, with towel in hand, used it to apply pressure to the stabbing wound to slow down the bleeding. The victim asked for a smoke, and the husband went inside to find a cigarette.
The interior lights are still on in this Acura Integra – but it’s side and rear windows are freshly shattered by some kind of striking object.
“Meantime, the stabbing victim turns away, and rushes to a car parked in front of their house and took off westbound toward 82nd Avenue of Roses,” the officer said. “Not far from that house, we find a car that’s all demolished, with the dome light still on, that is somehow involved; but, there’s no sign that anyone has been injured in, or around this vehicle!”
About a block west of the damaged car, a neighbor came out and noticed the license plates had been stolen off his own car, parked on his property along the street. “We suspect that the guy that got stabbed took the license plates, and put them on the car – perhaps stolen – that he drove away from the scene,” recounted the officer.
During the incident, someone stole the license plates from this car, parked next to the police cruiser.
“So now, we’re looking for the suspect(s) who smashed up a car, stabbed a man in the back, stole license plates, and somehow disappeared into the night,” said the officer, “And yes, we’d like to speak with the stabbing victim, who may be driving a stolen car, as well!”
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police non-emergency number: 503-823-3333.
© 2018 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News