A suspect was arrested with two guns after he was seen displaying one in the Entertainment District area of the Old Town Neighborhood.
On Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 1:53a.m., two Sergeants were on foot at Northwest 3rd Avenue and Northwest Couch Street as part of the Police Bureau's Entertainment District detail. They were flagged down by a security guard in the area who reported that he had just seen someone pull out a semiautomatic handgun, rack the slide, and put it back in his pocket.
The sergeants immediately confronted the suspect and found a loaded handgun in his pocket. They found a second loaded handgun in a satchel around his neck. The guns (photo) were seized as evidence.
No one was injured and no one reported to officers that the suspect ever pointed a gun at anyone.
Jesse J. Townsend (photo), 23, of Beaverton, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on a charge of Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree. Townsend holds a valid Concealed Handgun License.
The Entertainment Detail is responsible for the nightclubs, venues, and bars in Central Precinct. On Fridays and Saturdays, officers and sergeants in the E-Detail focus on the safety of the Entertainment District. Entertainment Detail officers block streets in the district to allow for safe pedestrian traffic to and from the various clubs and bars, and represent a high-visibility patrol to deter criminal and dangerous behavior.
For more information about the history of the E-detail, see https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/515571 .
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