A man was stabbed in a southeast Portland parking lot Wednesday afternoon, kicking off a police search along the busy SE Division Street corridor while the attacker remained on the run.
Officers were called just after 1:35 p.m. to a lot on SE Division Street near SE 164th Avenue, where they found the wounded man and had him taken to a hospital. Police said he is expected to survive. The suspect had already left the scene before officers arrived, and detectives spent the afternoon canvassing the surrounding area.
According to FOX 12, Portland Police located the victim in the parking lot after the initial 911 call and began searching nearby streets for a suspect who had fled. The station reported that police did not release any description of the attacker or a possible motive in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing.
Division Corridor Safety Work
The section of SE Division running through East Portland has already been under the microscope for safety problems. Much of that attention has focused on traffic risks, not violent crime, through the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s multi-year Outer Division Safety Project spanning SE 80th to 174th avenues.
The agency says the project added protected bike lanes, raised medians, new pedestrian crossings and upgraded lighting along what it has described as one of the city’s most dangerous corridors for crashes and serious injuries. Those upgrades are aimed squarely at reducing traffic collisions and protecting people walking and biking, but they also highlight how high-stakes safety concerns have become on this stretch of Division.
Recent Incidents Along Division
Wednesday’s stabbing is the latest unsettling incident reported along or near Division Street. In November, a drive-by shooting near SE 165th Avenue and Division left a man injured and temporarily shut down part of the roadway during the investigation, as FOX 12 reported. Neighbors quoted in that coverage said they were increasingly worried about safety in the area.
Police did not immediately release any suspect description or additional details about Wednesday’s attack. The bureau frequently asks the public to share tips via [email protected] or through Crime Stoppers, as noted in its online news releases, and investigators are encouraging anyone with information to contact them. This story will be updated if a suspect description or other new details are released.
