Robbery suspect allegedly barricaded himself, fought police dog during arrest
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man is facing several felony charges after he resisted arrest and even fought a police dog on Friday morning, authorities said.
Police said they eventually arrested 42-year-old Portland resident Torrie C. Bulson-Bratton, who now faces robbery and other charges. However, his apprehension came after he allegedly refused to come out of his apartment in North Portland, with police eventually deploying tear gas to get him to come out.
Portland police said several specialized units were involved in serving a search warrant at the four-plex in the 4500 block of North Maryland Avenue at 5 a.m. That includes the Special Emergency Reaction Team, Crisis Negotiation Team and the North Precinct Neighborhood Response Team and other units.
"The search warrant was related to numerous violent crimes, some involving a firearm, and the warrant was considered to be high-risk," Portland Police Bureau said in a release. "The officers brought numerous resources due to the risk posed by the suspect under investigation."
Police said two people exited the unit after officers surrounded the building, announced their presence and ordered the occupants to come out. While those two people were not charged with crimes, the suspect in question allegedly refused to come out.
Officials said multiple attempts were made to de-escalate, but were not successful, so "officers evacuated nearby units and then deployed irritant gas into the structure."
The suspect came out but refused to surrender, police said. When a SERT K9 was deployed, the man allegedly "began fighting the police dog, even trying to drag the dog into the apartment."
The dog was recalled by authorities, and assessed, and no injuries were found.
Police then deployed more tear gas to lure the man out of an adjacent, evacuated apartment he'd allegedly broken into. The man once again emerged from hiding and was successfully arrested, police said.
The suspect was evaluated for any injuries related to the fight with the police dog, taken in police custody to a hospital by ambulance, treated and released, officials said.
Bulson-Bratton was lodged into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges that include two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree robbery, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of menacing, two counts of felon gun possession, first-degree burglary, third-degree escape, resisting arrest, interfering with a peace officer, assaulting a law enforcement animal, second-degree assault and parole violation.