What started as a late-night ride on North Portland's MAX line turned into a violent robbery that ended with a rider thrown onto the tracks and five young suspects in handcuffs, prosecutors say.
According to court papers and security footage, a group surrounded a man on the North Lombard Transit Center platform, attacked him, and hurled him down onto the tracks before stealing his backpack. Later that night, Portland officers stopped a vehicle in north Portland and detained several occupants who are now accused of being behind the platform assault and a quick run of convenience store thefts.
The suspects are identified in court documents as Anthony Coate, 20; Keyshawna McClendon, 19; Lonnie Wrisley, 19; Neveah Seeger, 19; and Javion Johnson, 18. Prosecutors say Coate and Johnson remain in custody on five counts of robbery each, along with additional charges including assault, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon. McClendon and Seeger were released after arraignment, while Wrisley posted bail. Seeger allegedly admitted taking part in the MAX platform attack, and prosecutors say Coate warned a store worker he would "come back and shoot him" if they "snitched," according to KATU.
The thefts tied to the case were reported at Plaid Pantry locations at 8110 NE Fremont St. and 6010 NE Halsey St., according to the chain's store listings. The platform assault occurred at the North Lombard Transit Center at North Interstate Avenue and Lombard Street. The Fremont store is listed on Plaid Pantry's site, and TriMet identifies the North Lombard Transit Center on its station information pages.
Retail theft at convenience stores has been a sore spot across Portland. In March, Plaid Pantry's CEO told KPTV the chain was hit hundreds of times last year, with losses climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Store managers say repeat hits and constant incidents have left workers on edge and ramped up pressure on police and prosecutors to step in.
Legal status
All five defendants made their first appearance in Multnomah County court on Friday. According to charging documents cited by KATU, Coate and Johnson remain in jail on five counts of robbery each, along with one count each of assault, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon. McClendon and Seeger were arraigned on two counts of assault and one count of robbery and then released. Wrisley, facing multiple robbery, assault, unlawful weapon, and escape charges, is out after posting bail.
How investigators pieced it together
Prosecutors say investigators pulled TriMet security video from the transit center and paired it with surveillance from the Plaid Pantry stores to zero in on a suspect vehicle. Officers then tracked that vehicle to a traffic stop near Northeast Lombard Street and 60th Avenue, where arrests were made.
TriMet notes on its public records page that security video is only kept for a limited time and is available through formal records requests, according to TriMet.
The arrests add to a growing list of retail and transit-area incidents that have merchants and riders in North Portland on edge. Authorities say the investigation is still active, with more details likely to surface through future court filings and police statements.
