PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police have detained a suspect linked to two stabbing incidents that occurred several blocks apart in downtown Portland Saturday night, both resulting in serious injuries. The incidents happened within half an hour of each other and were both seemingly random and unprovoked, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
The early investigation suggests that the suspect could be linked to additional attacks in the downtown core on Saturday evening that have not yet been reported, police said, and are asking the public for any information related to additional potential victims, witnesses, or people who located evidence from the incidents.
Police did not identify the suspect; they said he is in custody but will not be publicly identified until he is charged with a crime.
The first incident happened at Pioneer Courthouse Square, police said. Officers responded at 10:38 p.m. to a report that someone had been slashed in the neck. They found a man with "a serious injury to his neck," and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital. He is expected to survive after treatment, police said.
Police began searching the area, and at 11:04 p.m. dispatchers notified officers of a second stabbing on Southwest 10th Avenue, about three blocks west of the square. Officers found a man with a stab wound to the chest. He was also taken by ambulance to a hospital and is expected to survive.
"It's more than just a shame," one man said of the stabbings. "It's tragic."
"I moved here about 2018 and I got two years of a beautiful city, and now you don't go out after dark and you watch your back during they day," another man said.
Believing the two stabbings could be related, police began focusing their search on the area around the second incident. An officer located the suspect at 11:15 p.m. near the intersection of Southwest 14th Avenue and Southwest Alder Street. He ran away from the officers but was detained after a short chase, police said.
The Portland Police Major Crimes Unit responded to investigate. Community members may have found critical evidence relating to the case in the area between Southwest 10th Avenue and Southwest Alder Street and Southwest 18th Avenue and West Burnside Street, police said, and asked anyone with evidence to contact crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 23-224921 or send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Oregon.