Portland has seen a string of unsettling events as a suspect is arrested for a second time following two reportedly unprovoked attacks. According to a release from the Portland Police Bureau, on the morning of November 25, a 21-year-old was assaulted without provocation by an individual identified as 24-year-old Santos Puerto-Rios.
Authorities were to quickly apprehend the suspect, who was subsequently charged with Assault in the Fourth Degree and transported to the Multnomah County Detention Center. But this wouldn't be the end of Puerto-Rios's run-ins with the law. Seemingly minutes prior to this attack, another heinous act was committed—this time against a 69-year-old woman, who was similarly assaulted by an unknown male, now identified as Puerto-Rios.
The report coming from a family member of the elderly victim set the Major Crimes Unit on a follow-up that would culminate in the re-arrest of the accused. As per the police department's statement, detectives were able to determine that these two separate but equally shocking assaults were the actions of one man—Puerto-Rios—who had been released following his first arrest. He was located and arrested a second time on December 2nd at his residence.
He now faces an additional count of Assault in the Fourth Degree as the community is still trying to make sense of these random acts of violence. Police have not ruled out the possibility of further charges being laid as the investigation continues. For anyone with additional information about these cases, police urge contact through their crime tips email, with reference to case number 25-326004.
The Portland Police Bureau extends its wishes to both victims for a full and speedy recovery
