Suspect identified as an armed 17-year-old male who fled a traffic stop

A 17-year-old male is in police custody after being shot in the leg by an officer following a traffic stop in Southeast Portland.

The teenager is being held on two allegations of unlawful possession of a firearm at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Home, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, Portland Police spokesman. Police are withholding his name due to his age.

The suspect allegedly fled from police at about noon Tuesday, July 17, during a traffic stop near Southeast 153rd Avenue and Division Street, causing two officers to fire at him.

One officer fired a less-lethal beanbag round while the other fired a round from his firearm.

Meanwhile, the suspect hid in the surrounding neighborhood and was later found in a yard in the 1900 block of Southeast 149th Avenue. He had a non-life threatening injury that was later determined to be a gunshot wound to the right thigh. After being treated at a local hospital, he was released to police.

The incident began when members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team and Gun Task Force were conducting surveillance in Southeast Portland as part of an ongoing investigation into a man involved in a federal gun case.

That man — Sid Edward Willis Jr., 33 — was arrested in late May after he allegedly threatened another man with a gun. A federal grand jury on June 5 indicted Willis, who has ties to the Crips gang, on multiple felony charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm as an armed career criminal. He remains in federal custody and is considered a dangerous offender and a flight risk.

As part of that investigation, the Portland Police Gun Task Force and Gang Enforcement Team were granted a search warrant for an apartment in the 600 block of Southeast 148th Avenue. The warrant was related to allegations of witness tampering involving the federal case against Willis.

During several days of surveillance, investigators saw several suspected gang members and associates come and go from the apartment.

On Tuesday morning, police noticed a young man who they did not know come to the apartment. He appeared to show off a handgun to others before getting into a blue Honda two-door with three other people.

Investigators requested that uniformed officers conduct a high-risk traffic stop on the vehicle. East Precinct and Gresham Police officers stopped the car in the driveway of 15301 S.E. Division Street.

The female driver and front seat passenger got out and were taken into custody without incident.

The third person to exit the car was the armed suspect. He reportedly refused to follow the officers’ commands and ran into the neighborhood.

Portland Officer Dennis Wilcox, who has 21 years with the bureau, fired a round from his beanbag shot gun. Portland Officer Gregory Moore, who was hired in March 2011, fired a round from his gun.

The suspect disappeared into the neighborhood. Officers, including a police K-9 unit, searched the area. They found the injured suspect in a yard, as well as two loaded handguns in a yard in the 2200 block of Southeast 153rd Ave.

Police believe the suspect’s wound was from the officer firing at him and was not a self-inflicted injury, Simpson said. They also believe that the suspect ditched the guns police found while fleeing the scene.

A fourth person in the vehicle was bitten on the wrist by a police K-9 and taken into custody.

That person, as well as the driver and other passenger, have since been released without charges.

The case remains under investigation.

“One aspect of an officer-involved shooting investigation is to determine what behavior or information led to an officer using deadly force and whether or not there was justification for the use of force,” Simpson said.

Detectives are still interviewing witnesses and a grand jury will hear the case when the investigation is complete.

Any witnesses who have not spoken to police are asked to call 503-823-0400.