Police arrest suspect tied to multiple violent incidents in Southeast Portland, with charges spanning assault and robbery

Arrest follows reported pattern of serious incidents in the city’s East Precinct area

Portland police have taken a suspect into custody in connection with multiple violent incidents in Southeast Portland, highlighting a series of investigations in the city’s East Precinct area that have ranged from unprovoked assaults to a robbery-linked stabbing inside a grocery store.

In one case, police said patrol officers responded on January 1, 2026, to reports of a stabbing at a grocery store in the 3500 block of Southeast 122nd Avenue. Officers found a 77-year-old man with serious knife injuries and sent him to a hospital; the injuries were later assessed as non-life-threatening. Investigators said the victim was robbed and stabbed in a restroom. Police tracked a suspect’s movements with witness information and security assistance, and arrested 51-year-old Christopher E. Woods near Southeast 119th Avenue and Southeast Division Street. Woods was booked on charges including first-degree assault and first-degree robbery, police said.

Separate arrests described as “unprovoked” assaults minutes apart

Police also detailed a separate set of incidents that began on November 25, 2025, along Southeast 122nd Avenue near Southeast Division Street. Officers said a 21-year-old reported being punched in the face by a man who approached him. Police arrested 24-year-old Santos Puerto-Rios and booked him on a fourth-degree assault charge.

Days later, police said a family member reported that a 69-year-old woman had been punched and knocked to the ground around 8:15 a.m. the same morning, in the 3300 block of Southeast 122nd Avenue. Detectives later identified Puerto-Rios as the suspect in that earlier assault and arrested him again on December 2, 2025, at a residence in the 3000 block of Southeast 122nd Avenue. Police said additional charges were possible.

What authorities say these cases illustrate

While the cases involve different dates, locations, and alleged conduct, they share common investigative elements: rapid initial response, reliance on witness information, and follow-up work by detectives to connect incidents to named suspects and formal charges. Police have emphasized that the investigations remained active at the time of the announcements, and that suspect-victim relationships were not always established.

• January 1, 2026: robbery and stabbing reported inside a grocery store restroom near Southeast 122nd Avenue
• November 25, 2025: reported punch assault near Southeast 122nd Avenue and Southeast Division Street
• November 25, 2025: earlier reported punch assault involving a 69-year-old woman along Southeast 122nd Avenue

Anyone with information connected to these investigations has been directed to share tips with police, referencing the case numbers released for each incident.

Charges are allegations. Court proceedings determine guilt or innocence, and case outcomes may change as prosecutors review evidence and detectives continue follow-up work.