Chaos broke out in North Portland when two men committed a brazen carjacking at gunpoint while a local resident was simply unloading groceries from his vehicle. The victim faced the terror of a firearm pointed directly at him and the subsequent theft of his SUV, on the evening of March 15.
The determined response from the Portland Police was swift after the robbery's report, which took place at the intersection of North Skidmore Street and North Albina Avenue. Portland police, including the North Precinct officers, the Focused Intervention Team, K9 units, the Traffic Division, and Air Support Unit, were all dispatched to apprehend the suspects, according to official reports.
Police lucked out when an eagle-eyed officer spotted the stolen SUV cruising near Northeast Lombard Street and Northeast 82nd Avenue. Realizing the jig was up, the suspects soon crashed the vehicle at Northeast 70th Avenue and Northeast Mason Street before trying to flee on foot. The area quickly became a law enforcement dragnet, with officers surrounding the neighborhood to prevent escape and apprehending the two men in short order.
Following the arrests, detectives from the Major Crimes Unit took over the interrogation of the suspects, identified as Raheim A. Carter, 41, and Brandon T. Plumb, 24. Both men were charged and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, Carter faced a count of Robbery in the First Degree and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, while Plumb received charges for Robbery in the First Degree and Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle.
Fortunately, the carjacking victim escaped the harrowing episode unharmed physically, though the psychological toll of such an event is not to be underestimated. As for the carjackers, they are now behind bars, awaiting the next steps in the legal process that will determine their fate.
