Car scams in Portland are becoming notorious. Recently, two suspects flagged a woman down by saying her gas tank was smoking. When the victim got out of her vehicle to examine her car, one of the suspects got out of the passenger side of their vehicle and stole the victim’s purse, according to PPB. Portland police officers are asking the public to take caution after a series of false car emergency scams in Multnomah County.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, they responded to multiple calls of separate incidents in various locations involving multiple victims. The spree began right after 12 p.m. on Sunday. In the same jurisdiction, a victim told officers that two male suspects told the victim their car was on fire, when the victim stepped out the vehicle to inspect, the suspects jumped in and stole the victim’s car.
Another event happened where suspects attempted to pull in front of a driver to stop them, but the driver was able to move around and keep going. The suspect’s vehicle matched the description of the previous incidents. The suspects and vehicle descriptions are similar in all of the incidents according to PPB.
After a several-hour standoff on one incident, Portland police arrested a man accused of stealing two vehicles and attempting to carjack several more before breaking into a nearby home. Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Christopher Sean O’Connor.
Officers responded to reports of a stolen car Tuesday evening near Northeast 103rd Avenue and Weidler Street. When officers found the car in a restaurant drive-through, the O’Connor bailed out and started running. Police said he then ran to another nearby restaurant and armed himself in the kitchen with a meat cleaver. The homeowner ran out of the building when O’Connor allegedly broke in.
No details around locations or suspect descriptors has been released. PPB is asking the community to take caution and be aware of their surroundings. If anyone flags an issue with your vehicle, move to a safe public place to inspect it if possible.
