Purse-snatching gunman pinched in MAX Light Rail station robbery

See the tough guy police say tried to steal a woman’s purse near the Division Street MAX station – and what happened to the man who tried to help her …

The MAX Light Rail Station at SE Division Street, just west of the I-205 Freeway, stands empty, after an alleged robbery and shooting attempt.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Although public transportation officials keep saying that crime near their MAX Light Rail lines has decreased, an incident on February 20 at the Division Street MAX Station has people skeptical how safe it truly is.

Monday evening was, indeed, a dark and stormy night. A little before 9:00 p.m., two men reportedly confronted a woman and stole her purse.

A Good Samaritan stepped up and tried to foil the crime – only to be shot at by one of the robbers. The pair of thieves headed south along the I-205 Multi-Purpose Trail and vanished.

A detective continues to look for evidence – here at the gas station just west of the MAX Station.

Police officers gather, their cars parked here along SE 92^nd Avenue, just south of SE Division Street, and join in the search for the alleged robber gunman.

It wasn’t long until a police canine unit arrived on scene and tracked the pair – witnesses told East Portland News – to an apartment building facing SE 92^nd Avenue, a block south of SE Division Street.

The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Forensic Evidence Division arrived and began combing the area for evidence.

An officer talks with the victim (mostly hidden behind him) as he gathers more information for the crime.

Officers prepare to enter an apartment building, looking for suspects.

Officers were given a good description of the suspects, said PPB Public Information Officer Lt. Robert King. “No one is reported to be injured.”

Police accuse this man, 21-year-old David Toedtemeier, with Robbery in the First Degree.

It didn’t take long for police to locate a suspect, and records show they arrested 21-year-old David Toedtemeier, and charged him with Robbery in the First Degree and a Parole Violation, at 9:23 p.m. that night.

Toedtemeier was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and remains there in lieu of $250,000 bail.

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