PORTLAND, Ore. — Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies swarmed an area on the far northeast side of Portland on Tuesday afternoon in a search for an armed robbery suspect following a car chase punctuated by gunfire.
Two suspects were taken into custody, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said, but one more remained at large.
Both the sheriff's office and the City of Gresham asked the public to stay inside or avoid the area of Northeast 162nd Avenue and Sandy during the investigation.
The robbery happened at the Columbia Gorge Outlets in Troutdale just before 4 p.m., the sheriff's office said. Three suspects reportedly used a gun to rob one of the stores, allegedly pointing it at security staff.
The suspects drove away in a tan Mercedes sedan, the sheriff's office said, and did not stop when deputies approached. A pursuit began, leading westbound on I-84. One deputy successfully put down spike strips, deflating at least one of the Mercedes' tires. The suspects exited the freeway and headed north onto Northeast 238th Drive.
When the pursuit continued westbound on Northeast Sandy Boulevard, at least one of the suspects allegedly fired a gun. One shot hit a deputy's vehicle, but there were no reported injuries. The sheriff's office said that no deputies fired their weapons in response.
During the chase, the suspects tossed merchandise stolen during the robbery out of their vehicle, according to an MCSO spokesman.
The suspects were still driving westbound on Northeast Sandy Boulevard when they ran into another vehicle just west of Northeast 162nd, the sheriff's office said. Officers were able to quickly take two of the suspects into custody, but a third ran away into the nearby trees.
One suspect was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
MCSO identified the two in-custody suspects on Wednesday as 48-year-old Jonathan M. Wright and 31-year-old Kayla Rae Davis. Davis faces charges for first-degree robbery and felony elude. Wright faces the same charges with the addition of first-degree attempted murder.
The driver of the vehicle hit by the suspects was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
As of 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, after hours of searching the area, the sheriff's office indicated that the third suspect was still on the loose. The suspect was described as a white female, last seen wearing black pants and grey hooded sweatshirt. As of Wednesday afternoon, she still had not been caught or publicly identified.
Deputies recovered a gun near the suspects' crashed Mercedes, the sheriff's office said.
MCSO said that Northeast Sandy Boulevard remained closed from Northeast 158th to Northeast 162nd Avenue "for some time." Anyone with information about the suspect's location is asked to call the agency's non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.
The investigation is now being led by the East County Major Crimes Team.
