GRESHAM, Ore. —
A Gresham stabbing victim was transported to the hospital in a police patrol car due to a shortage of ambulances, according to the Gresham Police Department (GPD).
Gresham police responded to reports of a stabbing near 181st Avenue and East Burnside around midnight on Sunday.
Firefighters from Portland Fire & Rescue were called to the scene and began treating the victim. The victim, an unidentified adult male, was treated for what appeared to be a head wound, according to the GPD.
But Lieutenant Terry Foster, a spokesman for Portland Fire, said they quickly realized the situation was much more serious.
"They also found out that he had multiple stab wounds to the abdomen," Foster said. "This is a critical patient. They [Portland Fire & Rescue] were assigned an ambulance at that point but they were coming from Clackamas."
Foster said the firefighters were forced to make a quick decision.
"Thankfully, law enforcement said, 'Hey, just throw him in our car, we'll take him,'" Foster said. "So our paramedic from Engine 31 jumped in the back of the police cruiser and they drove to the closest hospital."
The incident is the latest to demonstrate the ongoing ambulance response crisis in Multnomah County. When there are no ambulances available to respond to medical emergencies, it’s known as "Level Zero."
In 2023, there were nearly 15,000 calls to 911 during Level Zero incidents.
In Portland, that means people needing emergency care have been ferried to hospitals in patrol cars on fire rigs, and in one case, on a TriMet bus.
Not everyone has been so lucky, though.
In April of 2023, Robert Ketchum, a 62-year-old man in a wheelchair, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Northeast Portland. He died on the street while paramedics worked to resuscitate him.
The ambulance took 32 minutes to arrive.
In Multnomah County, ambulances are required to be staffed by two paramedics — as opposed to other counties where the requirement is for one paramedic and one EMT.
Both the Portland and Gresham city councils have passed resolutions calling on the county to lift the requirement, but Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson has declined to do so.
American Medical Response, the company that provides ambulance services for the county, says they're hamstrung by the county’s strict two-paramedic requirement and a shortage of certified paramedics.
In late 2023, the county issued fines of more than $500,000 to the company over late response times.
Adam Wright, a detective with the Gresham Police Department, said the type of situation his officers encountered early Sunday morning was unthinkable when he got his start in police work.
"Level Zero is a thing that was unheard of early in my career," he said. "But the firefighters at the scene decided it was in the best interest of the patient to have them transported immediately."
Firefighters used a tarp to help load the victim into a cruiser, and with a paramedic tending to him, he was taken to the Mount Hood Medical Center, arriving in less than 10 minutes.
That kind of situation is far from ideal, Foster said.
"The biggest issue they had was the gear," he said. "Our paramedic didn't have more gear, so although he brought gauze and abdominal pads which will soak up quite a bit of fluids, he soaked through them. The bleeding just kept getting worse on the ride."
The victim went into surgery soon after arriving at the hospital. As of Sunday afternoon, he remained in critical condition, but was expected to survive.
One man, identified by police as Miguel Contreras Yeh, was arrested on suspicion of assault and officials said they were still searching for several more suspects.
Wright said officers train for scenarios where help isn’t available, but under different circumstances.
"We have trained and prepared our officers for it, but it's always been in the context more of a major incident or disaster," he said.
For his part, Foster credited the quick thinking of crews on the scene for helping to save the victim's life.
"They made a decision within five minutes to transport, and it made a difference," he said.