A suspect in a Portland homicide attempt accused of running over a policeman with a stolen truck remained on Monday, two days after escaping from a cell after his initial arrest.
The search continues for David Dahlen, 24, who was initially located and arrested on Saturday by East District police. He was detained around 1:30 pm after a brief walking chase in the Southeast 101st Avenue and Southeast Insley Street area and was transported to the Detective Division at the Justice Center at 1111 Southwest 2nd Ave. for an interview.
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“At 5:30 pm, detectives discovered that Dahlen had escaped from the safe detention cell he was in. The building was immediately closed and additional resources were called in,” the Portland Police Department said in a press release. “It was later confirmed that Dahlen had left the building and was last seen running north.”
An investigation will be carried out to determine how Dahlen escaped the cell.
“Dahlen was not taken back into custody and we are continuing our search for him,” said police spokesman, Officer Derek Carmon, in a statement to Fox News on Monday. “We are investigating how he escaped and what changes are needed to prevent this from happening in the future.”
David Dahlen, 24, of Portland was arrested for attempting to murder a police officer on Saturday. He escaped from a Justice Center cell hours later and remained at large until Monday.
(Portland Police Station)
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In its initial statement on Saturday, the police station said “there is no reason to believe that it represents a direct threat to the community. However, the PPB asks the public for help in locating it.”
If anyone sees Dahlen or knows where he is, they will be asked not to approach him and call 911 immediately.
The police described the suspect as a white male, six feet tall and weighing 70 pounds. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, jeans and white sneakers. He had a noticeable amount of dry mud on his clothes.
Police said there were arrest warrants for attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, assault on a public security officer, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and second-degree escape.
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On December 24, Dahlen reportedly drove a stolen truck against Portland police officer Jennifer Pierce at a gas station near Southeast 39th Avenue and Southeast Powell Boulevard. Police said Dahlen collided with Pierce while she and other officers tried to box the stolen vehicle, trapping it between the truck and its patrol car at one point.
After she was hit a second time, Pierce, a 15-year-old police veteran, reportedly shot the stolen truck, KOMO reported. She was later transported to a local hospital with a fractured pelvis. The stolen truck was found abandoned about an hour later in southeastern Portland.