Alberta dancing, fight prompts police response
This is a press release courtesy of the Portland Police Bureau
Once a month there is an event on Northeast Alberta Street known as "Last Thursday." Occasionally officers have to deal with intoxicated individuals during the event. The crowd this evening [Thursday] was larger than the past few months possibly because it was a warm and dry evening.
Sometime around 10:00 p.m., some of the individuals were seen walking in the street and blocking traffic in the area of Northeast 24th Avenue and Northeast Alberta. By about 10:30 more than 200 people were blocking the 2400 block of Northeast Alberta. Many were intoxicated and drinking in public.
At about 10:45 pm, Northeast Precinct officers were instructed to go back to Northeast Precinct to pick up their helmets in case they were needed to deal with the increasingly disorderly crowd in the area of Northeast 24th Avenue and Northeast Alberta Street.
As two of the officers were driving through the area of Northeast 18th and Alberta they observed two males punching each other in the face. The officers exited their cars to stop the fight.
One of the officers used his Taser to arrest one of the participants. As he did so, another male not involved in the fight attempted to get into the officer's patrol car parked nearby.
One of the two officers ran back towards their patrol car and called for cover as the other officer placed his Taser on the ground so that he could handcuff his prisoner, later identified as 22-year-old Ryan Hartman-Parsons.
As the officer took control of Hartman-Parsons he observed 30-year-old Joshua Hannum pick up his Taser. Believing that Hartman-Parsons may attempt to use the Taser to incapacitate him, the officer drew his firearm and ordered Hartman-Parsons to drop the Taser. Hannum complied with the officers request and dropped the Taser.
The crowd increased and began to throw bottles at and scream at the officers. Within a few minutes enough officers arrived and secured the intersection. Neither of the officers were hurt. Hartman-Parsons apparently had a tooth knocked out during his fight with the other person but was not injured by the application of Taser.
Hartman-Parsons received medical attention and was charged with one count of Disorderly Conduct and one count of Interfering with a Police Officer.
Hannum was taken into custody and interviewed. During the interview he admitted he had been drinking. He stated that he heard a pop and thought someone was shot. He stated that he saw someone on the ground and thought the Taser was a handgun. He also stated that he saw the officers but it did not immediately register that they were police officer.
Hannum picked up what he thought was a gun so that no one else would get shot. He then saw the officer draw his firearm, realized that he had made a huge mistake and dropped the Taser. Hannum apologized repeatedly and admitted he had not used very good judgement.
He was released and was not charged with a crime. The individual who was getting into the patrol car ran off as the second officer approached his car.
Because of the hostile nature of the crowd officers did not attempt to make any additional arrests and as additional officers arrived, the crowd quickly dissipated.
Once a month there is an event on Northeast Alberta Street known as "Last Thursday." Occasionally officers have to deal with intoxicated individuals during the event. The crowd this evening [Thursday] was larger than the past few months possibly because it was a warm and dry evening.
Sometime around 10:00 p.m., some of the individuals were seen walking in the street and blocking traffic in the area of Northeast 24th Avenue and Northeast Alberta. By about 10:30 more than 200 people were blocking the 2400 block of Northeast Alberta. Many were intoxicated and drinking in public.
At about 10:45 pm, Northeast Precinct officers were instructed to go back to Northeast Precinct to pick up their helmets in case they were needed to deal with the increasingly disorderly crowd in the area of Northeast 24th Avenue and Northeast Alberta Street.
As two of the officers were driving through the area of Northeast 18th and Alberta they observed two males punching each other in the face. The officers exited their cars to stop the fight.
One of the officers used his Taser to arrest one of the participants. As he did so, another male not involved in the fight attempted to get into the officer's patrol car parked nearby.
One of the two officers ran back towards their patrol car and called for cover as the other officer placed his Taser on the ground so that he could handcuff his prisoner, later identified as 22-year-old Ryan Hartman-Parsons.
As the officer took control of Hartman-Parsons he observed 30-year-old Joshua Hannum pick up his Taser. Believing that Hartman-Parsons may attempt to use the Taser to incapacitate him, the officer drew his firearm and ordered Hartman-Parsons to drop the Taser. Hannum complied with the officers request and dropped the Taser.
The crowd increased and began to throw bottles at and scream at the officers. Within a few minutes enough officers arrived and secured the intersection. Neither of the officers were hurt. Hartman-Parsons apparently had a tooth knocked out during his fight with the other person but was not injured by the application of Taser.
Hartman-Parsons received medical attention and was charged with one count of Disorderly Conduct and one count of Interfering with a Police Officer.
Hannum was taken into custody and interviewed. During the interview he admitted he had been drinking. He stated that he heard a pop and thought someone was shot. He stated that he saw someone on the ground and thought the Taser was a handgun. He also stated that he saw the officers but it did not immediately register that they were police officer.
Hannum picked up what he thought was a gun so that no one else would get shot. He then saw the officer draw his firearm, realized that he had made a huge mistake and dropped the Taser. Hannum apologized repeatedly and admitted he had not used very good judgement.
He was released and was not charged with a crime. The individual who was getting into the patrol car ran off as the second officer approached his car.
Because of the hostile nature of the crowd officers did not attempt to make any additional arrests and as additional officers arrived, the crowd quickly dissipated.
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