Suspect Arrested After 3-Hour Standoff In NE Portland: Police

PORTLAND, OR — Portland police closed two city blocks in the Hollywood district early Tuesday while they searched for a male suspect who reportedly tried to escape a traffic stop but instead ran over a houseless man who was sleeping in a bush.

Donnie Pradith, 27, was taken to Multnomah County Jail. He is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, attempt to elude police both on foot and in a vehicle, failure to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person, felon in possession of a loaded firearm, and burglary. Additional charges related to the investigation will likely be filed at a later date.

According to Portland police spokesman Sgt. Chris Burley, a North Precinct officer tried to pull over Pradith for a basic failure to yield traffic stop near Northeast 31st Avenue and Northeast Broadway Street just after 2:45 a.m. Oct. 9. Pradith did not stop, however, and instead tried to flee in the Toyota Camry he was driving. The officer reportedly chose not to pursue him through the residential area.

Before the Camry was out of sight, the officer watched Pradith crash over a green space at the three-way intersection of Northeast Broadway Street, and Northeast Sandy and Northeast Cesar E. Chavez boulevards.

When he crashed through the green space, Pradith ran over a man who was apparently sleeping in the shrubbery, police said.

When the officer caught up to the crash he reportedly saw Pradith running from the scene. The officer chose to direct his attention to the injured man in the bushes and provided other responding officers with a description of the suspect, Burley said, noting officers also learned Pradith was likely armed with a handgun.

The man who was ran over reportedly sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital for treatment while officers began searching for Pradith.

During the search a resident in the 1600-block of Northeast 40th Avenue reportedly told police he saw a man matching Pradith's description run onto his property and into a shed behind his house. Because police believed Pradith was armed, a perimeter was established and the area was locked down while the PPB's Crisis Negotiation Team worked to coax him out of the shed.

Around 6:30 a.m., following a three-hour standoff, police announced Pradith was in custody.

Following Pradith's arrest, police searched the Camry and seized as evidence 300 Xanax pills and $800 in cash. Additionally, officers learned the car was stolen — though it hadn't yet been reported.

The gun police thought Pradith had in his possession was found on the ground near where Pradith was arrested, Burley said.

The drugs, the cash, the gun, and the stolen car are all being tied to Pradith at this time, Burley said.

According to court documents obtained by Patch, Pradith was arrested in April 2018 on mostly the same charges following a strikingly similar pair of incidents.

Portland police on April 14 reportedly found Pradith sleeping behind the wheel of a white Chevrolet pickup at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Southeast Foster Road. When officers approached the vehicle, they reportedly spotted a handgun in Pradith's lap.

Using precautionary measures to ensure a clean arrest, such as laying spike strips behind the truck, officers woke up Pradith and instructed him to exit the vehicle. Disoriented, Pradith fired up the truck, lurched forward to ram several patrol cars, and fled. He didn't make it far, however; he was still within sight of the officers when he reportedly drove the truck through a large fence.

After crashing through the fence, Pradith got out of the truck and took off on foot into the nearby residential area — where he ultimately eluded police capture. Back at the truck, police reportedly found the handgun lying on the floorboards. It was loaded with a full magazine and a chambered round, documents show.

A few days later, on April 21, officers were dispatched to Southeast 57th Avenue and Southeast Knight Street after receiving reports of a man slumped behind the wheel of Hyundai. When officers arrived they identified the man as Pradith.

Again positioning themselves to prevent Pradith from running, officers woke him up and instructed him to get out of the car. Again, Pradith chose instead to ram several cars and flee the area.

An officer found the abandoned Hyundai about 1.5 miles away and saw Pradith walking away from the area. The officer told Pradith to stop, but — now perhaps unsurprisingly — Pradith again chose to flee.

A short time later officers found Pradith hiding in the backyard of residence a few blocks from where he'd left the Hyundai.

After pleading not guilty to the charges connected to the April incident, Pradith in July was scheduled to be in court for trial on Oct. 8 — incidentally. In September, Pradith's court hearing was reset for Nov. 9.

It's unclear how the new charges will affect the previously scheduled hearing.

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This post has been updated from its original version in order to identify Donnie Pradith, provide a recount of his immediate criminal history, and detail the charges against him.

Images via Portland Police Bureau