PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Rowan Wilder was working at the Lotus and Bean coffee shop in downtown Portland last Thursday afternoon when the owner of the shop was assaulted by a customer who later allegedly assaulted 3 Portland police officers before being subdued.
Wilder spoke with KOIN 6 News while the owner recovers from her injuries — “stitches in her lip and she’s got 2 black eyes.”
Around 3:30 p.m. that afternoon, the suspect — later identified as Jordan Locke — walked in to the eatery at SW 3rd and Alder, grabbed a Coca-Cola from the cooler and began drinking it. Surveillance video shows the owner trying to talk with him but he ignores her.
She grabbed her phone to call the building owner for help when Locke unleashed a devastating uppercut.
“She flew backwards and he took the phone that she was calling for help with,” Wilder told KOIN 6 News.
Police officers caught up with Locke two blocks away and the violence continued.
Court documents obtained by KOIN 6 News show Locke “first attempted to punch Officer Srisongkham with a closed fist. Defendant then attempted to punch Officer Wells in the face before refocusing on Officer Srisongkham with a barrage of punches.”
When officers used a Taser things got even worse, documents showed.
Locke “then rushed at Officer Wells like a football player and punched her in the face as he knocked her to the ground. Officers Flour, Wells and Srisongkham all sustained injuries.”
Locke was eventually taken into custody and booked on 12 separate charges, including 5 felonies, and then released.
But Wilder said the owner of Lotus and Bean didn’t get a chance to tell her story.
“They told her to get on the Zoom call at 2:30 p.m.,” Wilder said. “She got on early at 2:15 p.m. and they were halfway done without her. Not only that, they released him after less than 24 hours.”
KOIN 6 News reached out to PPB and has not yet heard back.
In a statement to KOIN 6 News, the Multnomah County DA’s Office said they requested Locke remain in jail.
“In this instance, the courts issued a supervised pretrial release despite objections from our the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Our office cannot speak to the court’s decision, however we can confirm that we recommended the defendant in this case remain in custody,” spokesperson Elisabeth Shepard said.
Locke is back on the streets and everyone at Lotus and Bean is deeply concerned.
“It’s hard to be here. It’s draining to be downtown,” Wilder said. “There’s a reason I don’t spend much time downtown outside of my job because it’s sad. It’s devastating.”