On Sunday afternoon Portland Police responded to SE Water Ave., near the Tillikum Crossing bridge where a suspicious man was possibly stealing wire from an electrical box.
The man has been identified as 39-year-old Randall Hartwell.
Officers arrived in the area and tried to talk to Hartwell, but he gave a fake name to police that came back with a warrant. After Hartwell realized what had happened he fled from police.
Portland Police told Hartwell he was under arrest, but he ran away towards the Willamette River, jumping into the water. He tried to swim away, but he did not appear to be a good swimmer and came back to shore where he proceeded to hide along the riverbank in some bushes.
Additional officers, a Police K-9 Unit, and boats from Portland Fire & Rescue and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist in locating Hartwell.
He was found and taken into custody without incident. Medical crews took him to a Portland hospital for treatment to ensure he wasn’t hypothermic after entering the cold water.
rokur
Production engineer and certified swim coach. Full-time IT consultant, spare-time swimming aficionado. 2 sons, 2 daughters and a wife. President of the Faroe Islands Swimming Association. Likes to run :-)