PORTLAND, Ore. — A U.S. Marshal shot a fugitive who nearly rammed him with a vehicle while trying to escape arrest in Southeast Portland Monday afternoon, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Roman Culver, 23, of Covington, Wash., was wanted in the Seattle area on felony warrants for first-degree robbery with a weapon and skipping parole. He is also a person of interest in a homicide investigation and a suspect in a carjacking with resulted in a drive-by shooting and assault, the agency said.
Monday morning, U.S. Marshals Service informed Portland police that they were looking for the suspect in Southeast Portland. In a news release Tuesday, officials said task force members located Culver and three other people — a man and two women — parked in a vehicle near Southeast 11th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard.
When task force members tried to block in the vehicle around 2:30 p.m., Culver put it in reverse and rammed multiple police vehicles. Investigators commanded him to stop, but he kept accelerating, the Marshals said.
As the suspect attempted to get away, a nearby officer "found himself between the vehicles" and fired a single shot in self defense, the agency said, hitting Culver in the neck.
He stopped the vehicle and officers provided him with emergency medical air as they detained the three passengers. A handgun was located inside the vehicle.
Culver, who later admitted to knowing police were trying to arrest him, was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. He remains hospitalized and further info on his condition wasn’t available at time of this release.
The male passenger was also transported to a nearby hospital with a minor injury to his ear and later released into Portland Police Bureau (PPB) custody for additional investigation.
