PORTLAND, OR – Shortly after noon on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, Central Precinct and North Precinct officers began responding to calls regarding damage to vehicles being driven northbound I-405, between the Southwest Columbia overpass and the Fremont Bridge. Ultimately five separate calls came in. No one reported injuries, just damage including broken windows and dents.
It was later determined the damage was likely caused by a pellet or BB gun and officers narrowed the target location to be in the area of Southwest 13th Avenue and Southwest Taylor Street-Main Street.
Additional officers from the Central Neighborhood Response Team responded to a nearby encampment where they located a pellet rifle, bottle of bronze BBs and scope.
After additional investigation, officers arrested Worku J. Bradford, 21, and booked him into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree (two counts) and Reckless Endangerment (two counts).
Bradford, identified as a transient, two years ago threatened to shoot up a public library in Montana when he was 19.
According to NBC Montana, “Court documents show Worku Bradford, 19, got the attention of library staff when he tried to get kids to smell marijuana he had on him. Police said he got upset when the kids wouldn’t cooperate with him. Prosecutors said that’s when threats to shoot up the library came in. Police said they arrested him as he was walking out of the library.”
He was in possession of a bb gun at the time of his Montana arrest.
Officers believe there are more cases and additional charges are anticipated. Neighborhood Response Team officers are asking anyone who might have been a victim and have not yet reported it to e-mail crimetips@portlandoregon.gov attn: Central NRT and reference case number 22-23229.