PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police asked people to avoid an area in Portland's Old Town neighborhood as tactical teams responded to an armed man inside an arcade on Saturday night.
The Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) responded to the 100 block of Northwest 5th Avenue about an "armed man making threats," around 3 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).
A KGW reporter at the scene observed that someone was barricaded inside the Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade and Bar.
Police said the suspect was armed with a hatchet and machete when he entered the arcade, which was full of customers and employees. The arcade's management evacuated everyone, as officers surrounded the building and attempted to de-escalate. PPB said the suspect refused to stand down and "communicated that he wanted officers shoot him." Officers also saw he still had the hatchet.
When the man continued to make threats, police called for the specialized teams. CNT was able to talk to the man and get him to drop his weapons, PPB said. CNT negotiators also reported that the man appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance and "eventually began to lose consciousness"; SERT officers then took that opportunity to arrest him.
Around 4:30 p.m., PPB reported the situation resolved, with the man having been taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
On Sunday morning, Portland police identified the man as 44-year-old Bernard A. Johnson. He has been released from the hospital and transported to jail on charges on menacing, unlawful use of a weapon and outstanding warrant.
Streets were closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic in a one-block radius from Northwest 5th Avenue and Northwest Couch Street, PPB said.