A 27-year-old Portland man is in jail after authorities say he robbed a southwest Portland marijuana dispensary, ran into neighboring Washington County, and then tangled with deputies who tried to arrest him. One deputy suffered minor injuries during the encounter, and medics checked the suspect before he was booked. Detectives say the case is still active and they are looking for witnesses and video to help fill in the gaps.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as 27-year-old Efrain Alaniz-Garcia of Portland. According to the sheriff's office, he allegedly robbed a marijuana dispensary on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway near Southwest 62nd Avenue at about 6:30 p.m., then took off on foot into unincorporated Washington County, as reported by FOX 12.
How deputies tracked him down
Just before 7 p.m., multiple people in Washington County called in a man flagging down cars on Southwest Oleson Road and trying to get into at least one vehicle. Deputies responding to those calls found Alaniz-Garcia, and the sheriff's office says he allegedly tried to attack them during the encounter. One deputy ended up with minor injuries. Medics evaluated the suspect on scene before he was booked into the county jail, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Charges and next steps
Alaniz-Garcia now faces a stack of charges. The sheriff's office lists counts of second-degree robbery, first-degree theft, assault on a police officer, fourth-degree assault and third-degree criminal mischief, along with a misdemeanor warrant out of Beaverton. Detectives have asked anyone who saw the dispensary robbery or the later incident involving stopped vehicles to contact the sheriff's office and reference case number 50-26-2323, as FOX 12 reports.
Local context
Cannabis retailers in the Portland area have repeatedly been targeted in robberies and, in a few high-profile incidents, shootings. That pattern has drawn both criminal prosecutions and extra attention from regulators. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office previously released charging documents after an October 2024 dispensary shooting in North Portland, highlighting the risks retailers face, and regulators opened administrative inquiries in that case. In the current investigation, the sheriff's office is again turning to the public, asking anyone with tips or footage to contact deputies through its public channels, including the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
