November 12, 2019
Grand jury indicts man with attempted murder, kidnapping following August 27, 2019 carjacking and shooting
Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced the filing of a 25-count indictment against 22-year-old Carlos Batista for allegedly stealing a person’s vehicle, kidnapping the vehicle’s owner and driving him to Mt. Tabor Park where he then attempted to murder two other people.
Batista is charged with two counts of attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm, two counts of attempted murder in the second degree with a firearm, two counts of attempted assault in the first degree with a firearm, eight counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of criminal mischief in the first degree with a firearm, one count of kidnapping in the first degree with a firearm, one count of kidnapping in the second degree with a firearm, two counts of coercion with a firearm, one count of robbery in the first degree with a firearm, one count of robbery in the second degree with a firearm, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle with a firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle with a firearm, and one count of theft in the first degree with a firearm.
This investigation started on August 27, 2019 when Portland Police responded to Mt. Tabor Park after receiving information about a shooting. Officers arrived on scene and found evidence of gunfire along with three people with information about the situation.
According to the indictment, Batista, a person previously convicted of a felony, used a firearm to steal a person’s vehicle and that in the process of doing so, he kidnapped that person and took him from one location to another and that he threatened to physically harm the vehicle’s owner.
According to information previously released by the Portland Police Bureau, the carjacking occurred at the Barbur Boulevard Transit Center in southwest Portland and that the victim was bound with restraints and driven to Mt. Tabor Park. The shooting occurred after two individuals in the park saw the kidnapping victim outside of his stolen vehicle and asked what was going on.
The indictment alleges Batista unlawfully and intentionally attempted to cause the deaths of the two people in the park by shooting at least eight bullets. The indictment also alleges that during the shooting Batista caused more than $1,000 in damage to property belonging to the two people in the park.
After the shooting, Batista fled the area in the vehicle he had allegedly stolen from southwest Portland, according to information previously released by police.
Law enforcement located and arrested Batista in Thurston County, Washington. He was extradited to Oregon and appeared in Multnomah County Circuit Court on November 12, 2019.
Like in all criminal and civil matters, electronic copies of court documents, which are not subject to a protective order, are available to the public through the Oregon eCourt Information (OECI) system.
No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at this time pursuant to the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. Batista is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us