Following a tense standoff in the South Portland Neighborhood, 55-year-old Aaron D. Onufrock was apprehended and has been booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on multiple felony charges, including Burglary in the First Degree and Arson in the First Degree. The Portland Police Bureau official release states that additional charges are Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, Criminal Trespass in the First Degree, and Theft in the Third Degree. Alongside their statement, police provided photographs showing a charred basement door and a knife found at the scene.
The confrontation began late on Friday night when police were summoned to a residence on Southwest 5th Avenue where Onufrock had forcefully made his way into a basement split into apartment units. Having spotted the man armed with a knife and refusing to comply with officers' demands, local residents were evacuated for safety, and the streets were mired in standstill as negotiations unfolded. In an attempt to resolve the situation, the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) were engaged, yet flames and smoke seen during the encounter signaled the need for intervention by Portland Fire & Rescue.
Despite several hours of negotiation by the Crisis Negotiation Team, Onufrock held his ground. As the barricaded suspect remained obstinate, officers resorted to using OC (pepper) spray, followed by irritant gas, in an effort to coax him out. According to the Portland Police Bureau, at around 6:40 a.m., having maintained his grip on the knife throughout the gas deployment, Onufrock ultimately capitulated, dropped the weapon, and was taken into police custody after a medical evaluation..
