PORTLAND, Ore. — The man suspected of "randomly" stabbing two people in downtown Portland on a Saturday night in late August has now been charged with two counts of attempted murder, the Portland Police Bureau said Tuesday.
Portland police officers responded shortly after 10:30 p.m. on August 26 to Pioneer Courthouse Square after hearing a report that someone had been "slashed in the neck." They found a man at the scene with serious injuries to his neck, and he was rushed to a hospital where medical staff were able to stabilize him. He remains in the hospital, according to PPB.
As officers searched for the suspect, dispatch received another stabbing call just after 11 p.m. from the 700 block of Southwest 10th Avenue. Police arrived to find another man injured, this time with a stab wound to the chest. He was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries. PPB said that he was later released and is recovering at home.
About 15 minutes later, an officer found the suspect near Southwest 14th Avenue and Alder Street, detaining him after a short chase on foot.
PPB did not identify the suspect at the time and did not initially book him on charges related to the attacks. Instead he was placed on a parole detainer and booked into the Washington County Jail while investigators worked to piece together evidence.
In their initial release, Portland police said the initial investigation indicated that the stabbings were "random and unprovoked," and there were signs that the same person may have been responsible for other attacks in downtown that had not been reported to police. PPB also said that someone may have stumbled upon "critical evidence" in the area.
On Tuesday, PPB identified the suspect as Moctezuma Garcia, 24. While he was still in the Washington County Jail, the Multnomah County District Attorney's office secured an arrest warrant for Garcia on two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
"Since Garcia was detained, detectives have been working to collect evidence, speak to witnesses, and seek out and process video footage," PPB said. "In cases where a suspect is already in custody for something else, it is common investigative practice to delay filing charges to allow investigators more time to process and analyze evidence."
That evidence is expected to be put before a grand jury "in the near future," PPB said.
In the meantime, detectives still believe that Garcia may have been involved in other crimes that haven't been reported to police. Anyone with more information about the stabbings, related evidence or any additional crimes involving Garcia is asked to contact crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: Major Crimes Unit and reference case number 23-224921.