PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An armed, wanted suspect who fled from an attempted traffic stop managed to elude police in Southeast Portland despite a heavy police presence on the ground and in the air.
The incident began around 3:20 p.m. when a PPB sergeant tried to do a traffic stop on a driver he knew was wanted. But the driver took off from the 5700 block of SE 128th and then stopped at SE 136th and Ramona. The suspect — who has not been identified publicly by police — ran off into the neighborhood.
Based on what they found inside the car, police believed the suspect to be armed. Authorities brought in both the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team and they set up a perimeter from SE 134th to 140th and SE Ramona to the Springwater Trail.
Later a police drone was also used in the search.
About 5 hours after the attempted traffic stop, police said their search in that area concluded and the suspect remained at large.
PPB Sgt. Derek Carmon said they are concerned about public safety.
“If you have a person who’s reported to be armed in the neighborhood, there’s no telling what that person is capable of doing — especially if they don’t want to be caught by the police,” Carmon told KOIN 6 News.