Learn how a dawn 911 call at a Hazelwood apartment building turned into a 12-hour tactical standoff on NE 122nd Avenue in outer East Portland …
Looking north on NE 122nd Avenue during the incident, police vehicles and tactical units fill the highway while officers manage the daylong standoff at Hazelwood’s Highlander Apartments.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A pre-dawn “Disturbance-with Weapon” call at the Highlander Apartments in Hazelwood developed into a 12-hour tactical standoff on Friday, June 5, that shut down NE 122nd Avenue and drew more than 30 Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers and specialized teams to the scene.
Early call and first public alert
According to PPB, the incident began at about 5:37 a.m. when officers assigned to East Precinct were dispatched to the Highlander Apartments, 1217 NE 122nd Avenue, on a report of an armed man inside an apartment who was not allowing a woman to leave. The call was documented under Case No. 26-162961.
Within the first couple of hours, PPB issued an early public alert. By 7:27 a.m., the Bureau published an update reporting that tactical teams were responding to “an armed suspect reportedly holding a hostage in the Hazelwood Neighborhood,” and that NE 122nd Avenue at Halsey Street had been closed. The Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) were enroute, and the suspect and victim were believed to be inside an apartment.
NE 122nd Avenue was closed in both directions from NE Halsey Street to NE Holladay Street, and officers requested nearby residents to shelter in place and stay inside for their own safety.
In the distance, SERT officers prepare to receive the hostage as she emerges safely from a Highlander Apartments unit during the Hazelwood standoff.
Hostage escapes around 8 a.m.
At about 8:00 a.m., the situation shifted. In an official PPB update, the Bureau reported that the adult female victim emerged from the apartment. She was unhurt and safe with officers. The adult male suspect remained inside and was believed to still be armed with a gun. No injuries and no shots fired were reported at that time.
Officers maintained the safety perimeter, NE 122nd Avenue remained closed, and SERT and CNT continued to respond and set up around the Highlander Apartments complex.
In a briefing, PPB Public Information Officer Sergeant Kevin Allen outlined how the Hazelwood incident shifted from a reported hostage situation to a barricaded, potentially armed suspect at the apartments.
Morning briefing from Sergeant Allen
By mid-morning, the case had become an extended tactical operation. Around 9:25 a.m., PPB gave a second online update confirming that the victim was safe with officers and the suspect was still barricaded inside. About five minutes later, at approximately 9:30 a.m., PPB Public Information Officer Sergeant Kevin Allen spoke with reporters near the scene.
Hours into the incident, Sergeant Allen confirmed that the suspect and the woman were acquainted, and that what had begun as a hostage incident now involved a barricaded, potentially armed suspect facing possible criminal charges.
“No longer a hostage situation. It is a potentially-armed barricaded person who we have potential criminal charges against,” Sergeant Allen told reporters. “The victim has left the apartment in the Hazelwood Neighborhood and she is safe with police. The armed suspect remains inside.”
Outlines the incident, in detail
Sergeant Allen outlined how the incident started for East Precinct officers. “The incident started when PPB East Precinct officers were dispatched [to] the ‘Disturbance-With Weapon’ call at the location,” Sergeant Allen confirmed.
“Initial information was that there was an armed suspect inside, and had a female with him. He was not allowing her to leave. Because there was an armed person, with a gun, this is the sort of situation in which we call our tactical teams in,” he added.
By that point, residents in or near the Highlander Apartments were either staying in place or had been moved for safety.
Officers and emergency equipment are in the street as NE 122nd Avenue remains closed as the high‑risk tactical standoff continues.
“This incident is unfolding inside an apartment. We’ve asked area residents [to] shelter in place, stay inside with windows and doors locked. There have been some evacuations,” Sergeant Allen explained.
Throughout the morning, negotiators made repeated attempts to communicate with the suspect.
“So far, there have been no injuries, no shots fired. There has been some communication. There have been multiple periods of communication,” Sergeant Allen reported.
Tactical teams settle in for long operation
From late morning into the afternoon, SERT and CNT remained on scene and continued efforts to persuade the suspect to surrender peacefully. NE 122nd Avenue stayed closed as tactical vehicles, armored trucks, and specialized equipment lined the street, and more than 30 officers and tactical personnel rotated through positions around the building.
Sergeant Allen characterized the scene as an “active tactical incident,” and officers continued to ask residents in the immediate area to remain indoors while the standoff persisted.
The suspect sits on the roof of the Highlander Apartments during the Hazelwood tactical incident, after climbing out of the gas‑filled unit. (Photo courtesy KATU 2 News)
Afternoon escalation and suspect on the roof
By late afternoon, after nearly 12 hours of negotiations and outreach, PPB reported that the suspect continued to refuse efforts at de-escalation. According to the Bureau’s timeline, officers then moved to additional tactics.
By the time of a 6:07 p.m. update, PPB described how SERT had used several types of munitions when negotiations alone did not work, including flash-sound distraction devices, CS gas and OC vapor. After gas was deployed into the apartment unit, the suspect climbed up onto the roof of the Highlander Apartments building.
Even on the roof, CNT members continued to work for a peaceful resolution, including a forward team positioned to communicate directly with him. PPB reported that the suspect still refused to surrender Sergeant Allen later commended.
CNT members ride a Portland Fire & Rescue ladder truck bucket up to the roof of the apartment building to reach the armed suspect during the standoff. (PPB-provided image)
At PPB’s request, Portland Fire & Rescue responded with a Ladder Company truck. Fire crews operated a ladder truck with a bucket, lifting a team of officers up to the roof with their armor and gear so they could confront the suspect safely at elevation.
When confronted on the roof, the suspect grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and used it to swing down to the ground, according to PPB. Waiting below, a K9 team and numerous SERT officers immediately took him into custody. Medical services then evaluated the suspect.
Officers walk the suspect, later identified as Mr. Miller, out of the area after his arrest following the daylong tactical standoff at in outer East Portland. (PPB-provided image)
Timeline closes: shelter-in-place lifted and street reopened
With the suspect in custody by early evening on June 5, PPB lifted the shelter-in-place request for the Hazelwood neighborhood area around the complex. Officers reopened the street after tactical teams packed up equipment and clear vehicles from the scene.
In its evening update, the Bureau thanked community members and businesses for their patience during the lengthy closure, and credited Portland Fire & Rescue and East Metro SWAT with playing critical roles in the successful outcome.
Booking and next-day identification
Later that evening, at 10:21 p.m., the suspect was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) on multiple felony counts and one misdemeanor charge, based on information logged on the Multnomah County jail files.
On the following morning, June 6 at 9:09 a.m., PPB released the suspect’s identity. Officials reported that 39-year-old Bennie D. Miller IV was the man involved in the tactical incident. His official MCDC booking record lists him as Bernie Dywayne Miller Jr.
Miller was booked on several domestic-violence–related felony counts, including Coercion–Domestic Violence, Unlawful Use of a Weapon–Domestic Violence, Menacing–DV, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He also was charged with Criminal Mischief in the First Degree for causing serious damage to two PPB robots assigned to the Explosives Disposal Unit.
This Ruger semiautomatic pistol, equipped with a Viridian laser sight, was recovered from the suspect after the Hazelwood tactical incident. (PPB-provided photo)
As of the latest update, Miller remained in the MCDC without bail. Detectives with PPB’s Special Victims Unit took primary responsibility for the ongoing investigation, and domestic-violence charges are expected to be central to the case.
From the initial East Precinct dispatch to the conclusion, PPB officers, negotiators and fire crews managed a high risk, daylong standoff with an armed, barricaded suspect and brought it to a safe conclusion for the community.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
