Portland police are looking for a wounded man who disappeared from a hospital after reporting a stabbing near NE 12th Avenue and NE Irving Street early Friday. Officers were called to the intersection shortly after 7 a.m. when a man walked into a nearby business and said someone had been stabbed. First responders later found an adult man outside that business with a stab wound to the chest. He was taken to a hospital, but detectives say he walked away on foot before they could finish their first round of questions.
In an email to KATU, Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Terri Strauss said officers were told the stabbing had actually happened about four hours earlier at a different location. According to Strauss, officers searched that earlier spot but found no one who knew about an assault and no 911 calls that matched the report. Police told KATU they are now focusing their search for the injured man in the area around the hospital.
Police Response And Search Efforts
Officers canvassed both the NE 12th and NE Irving intersection and the alternate reported scene while detectives worked to build a timeline and look for witnesses. The Portland Police Bureau notes in its online news updates that tips can be emailed to [email protected] and that anonymous information can be shared through Crime Stoppers, as outlined on the Portland Police Bureau website. Detectives say finding the injured man is a top priority so they can confirm where the stabbing actually took place and check whether nearby cameras or witnesses can help move the case forward.
How This Fits With Recent Cases
The case lands in the middle of a stretch of stabbing investigations in Portland in recent months, including a December 20 attack in Northwest Portland that left a woman hurt, as reported by KPTV. Local coverage and police statements show detectives often lean on community tips and surveillance video in similar investigations. That pattern helps explain why officers move quickly to canvass earlier reported locations, even when victims show up at different times or later at hospitals.
What Police Want
Anyone who saw activity near NE 12th and NE Irving on Friday morning, or who knows where the injured man might be now, is asked to email [email protected], attn: Major Crimes Unit, or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers, according to the Portland Police Bureau. People who spot the man or see anything unfolding in real time are urged to call 911. Police have not released the victim's name or any additional identifying details as the investigation continues.
