Six crimes in one hour; officers solve all, with one arrest, in Powellhurst-Gilbert

See how an hour-long string of armed robberies – and three carjackings – was brought to an abrupt halt by outstanding police work on November 3 …

Police track who is committing a series of armed robberies across outer East Portland, from in Powellhurst-Gilbert and Hazelwood neighborhoods, from I-205 to 122nd Avenue.

By David F. Ashton

A frenetic hour-long crime binge for a man with a gun, on Wednesday, November 3, came to an sudden end when Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers zeroed in on the suspect and arrested him.

At 3:36 p.m., a suspect stole a Nissan Sentra from the Nissan of Portland dealership on NE 122nd Avenue, a block south of NE Halsey Street, in the Hazelwood neighborhood. (Case No. 21-307987)

At 3:50 p.m., in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, at SE 138th Avenue and Bush Street, a victim was cleaning his car at his house when the same suspect approached, pointed a gun at him, and demanded the keys. The suspect drove off in the victim’s Toyota Camry. (Case No. 21-308002)

At 4:00 p.m., just east of the I-205 Freeway on SE Division Street, the same suspect left the Toyota Camry running at the Space Age gas station at SE 96th Avenue, and walked away. As if a “hand-off” to an accomplice, the Toyota was then again stolen by yet another suspect. The Toyota remains missing. (Case No. 21-308006)

At 4:05 p.m., the same suspect approached a BMW 335 that was stopped at a traffic light, near the gas station at SE 96th Avenue and Division Street – and pointed a gun at the driver, who got out. The bandit drove off with the BMW. (Case No. 21-308193)

At 4:09 p.m., in the Hazelwood neighborhood, heading north on SE 96th Avenue, the same suspect stopped at SE Market Street and demanded his cell phone from a 17-year-old Portland Adventist Academy student, who told officers he saw a silver-barreled gun in the BMW. This time, the victim refused to hand over his phone and ran off. (Case No. 21-308015)

At 4:21 p.m. East Precinct officers responded to a call, back in Powellhurst-Gilbert, about another victim, robbed of his mobile phone by the same suspect with a gun, along SE 122nd Avenue and Bush Street. (Case No. 21-308025)

“Officers got a description of the vehicle this suspect was driving, and a short time later located it in the area,” a PPB official said. “They stopped the car near SE 122nd Avenue and Holgate Boulevard, and arrested the driver.”

Officers seized a loaded revolver made by Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., as evidence. PPB image

PPB Robbery Division detectives responded and took over the investigation, linking the suspect to all the other cases that took place over the previous hour.

Originally facing five Class A Felony charges is 25-year-old Dwight Joquan Dampier. MCDC booking photo

Robbery detectives booked 25-year-old Dwight Joquan Dampier the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 8:55 p.m. that evening on five (5) counts of Felony Robbery in the First Degree. At his arraignment, Dampier learned that his combined bail would total $1,250,000.

However, on November 4, a judge “Released” three of the five Class A Felony Robbery in the First Degree charges against Dampier, reducing his bail amount. For the time being, though, Dampier remains lodged in the MCDC in lieu of $500,000 combined bail.

If anyone has information about these connected cases, they’re asked to email crimetips@portlandoregon.gov, put “Attention: Robbery Detectives” in the Subject Line, and reference the corresponding case number for the incident(s) about which they can provide information.

Comments are closed.