Portland Man Who Struck Sheriff’s Deputy in the Face with Motorcycle Helmet After 100 MPH Chase Sentenced to Federal Prison

Press Release

PORTLAND, Ore.—Today, as part of a joint resolution of state and federal criminal cases, a local man was sentenced to federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, after fleeing from law enforcement officers at more than 100 miles per hour and striking a sheriff’s deputy in the face with his motorcycle helmet.  He was sentenced in state court for second degree assault and assaulting a public safety officer, both felonies.

Marcus Gene St. Clair, 44, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. St. Clair was previously sentenced to 70 months in state prison. He will serve his state and federal prison sentences concurrently in federal prison.

According to court documents, on July 29, 2019, St. Clair fled from Hood River County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a motorcycle at more than 100 miles per hour. A Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office sergeant spotted St. Clair traveling westbound on Interstate-84 toward Portland. St. Clair left I-84 before the sergeant could stop him.  The sergeant located St. Clair in a gravel lot off the highway and approach him on foot. Without warning, St. Clair hurled his motorcycle helmet toward the sergeant, striking the sergeant in the face and opening a large gash on his forehead.

Thinking quickly, the deputy pushed St. Clair’s motorcycle over so St. Clair could not flee and drew his gun. St. Clair fled on foot, yelling “I have a gun.” Another deputy deployed a taser, bringing St. Clair to the ground and, after a brief struggle, St. Clair was placed under arrest. Once St. Clair was secured, deputies search his backpack and found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a round chambered, $1,440 in cash, and more than 300 grams of methamphetamine. The gun had been reported stolen. The deputies later learned St. Clair was traveling with a revoked driver’s license and had two outstanding felony arrest warrants.


On September 11, 2019, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted St. Clair for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A Multnomah County grand jury indicted St. Clair on several other offenses, including second degree assault and assaulting a public safety officer. Later, St. Clair was charged by federal criminal information with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.


On May 14, 2021, St. Clair pleaded guilty in federal court. He was sentenced in state court on June 4, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon and Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Sussman and Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney David Hannon prosecuted the cases.

You appear to be using an ad blocker

Shore News Network is a free website that does not use paywalls or charge for access to original, breaking news content. In order to provide this free service, we rely on advertisements. Please support our journalism by disabling your ad blocker for this website.