UPDATE: PPB Responding to Hostage Situation

Portland Police Badge

July 06, 2022 14:49

Update 7/6/22:

The suspect in this incident has been booked into jail by detectives from the Special Victims Unit. Billy Waits, a 58 year old Portland resident, has been charged with:

Kidnap in the First Degree - Domestic Violence
Coercion - Domestic Violence
Unlawful Use of a Weapon x 3
Assault in the Fourth Degree - Domestic Violence
Menacing - Domestic Violence x3
Felon in Possession of a Firearm

The Portland Police Bureau's Special Victim's Unit (SVU) provides officers and detectives with specialized training in the dynamics of domestic violence. This unit also operates jointly with Multnomah County's Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team (DVERT) on "high-lethality" cases of domestic violence (those cases with warning signs associated with the most severe and life-threatening cases of domestic violence).

Information on SVU is available at: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/35679

###PPB###

Update 4:38 p.m.

The suspect in this incident has surrendered to SERT officers after successful negotiations by the Crisis Negotiation Team. Officers are in the process of clearing the scene and streets have been opened to through traffic. Investigators from the Special Victims Unit are taking the lead on this investigation and information on charges will be released after the suspect is booked into Multnomah County Jail later today.

###PPB###

Portland Negotiators and SERT are addressing an individual purported to be holding a hostage inside a residence.

On July 4, 2022, at approximately 12:01pm, East Precinct officers responded to the 3800 Block of Southeast 105th Avenue after being called to check on the welfare of a resident. After arriving, officers received information indicating this was a hostage situation. Officers consulted with the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), who have since responded to the scene.

While CNT and SERT work to safely resolve this situation, Southeast Bush Street will be closed from 104th to 110th Avenue, and Southeast 105th will be closed from Southeast Francis Street to Southeast Bush Street.

A PIO is responding to the scene and has designated the media staging area to be the parking lot of Ron Russell Middle School, located at 3955 Southeast 112th Avenue.

###PPB###

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