Updated: 8:40 am Thursday, April 17

Portland police officers returned to Northwest Portland Wednesday afternoon, to effectuate the arrest of a man involved in an armed standoff earlier in the week.

Police used a bevy of weapons, including tear gas, a police K9, a flash bang device, and robots to force 44-year-old Raul Nava, Jr. out of a tent near NW 21st Ave and Hoyt.

Central Precinct officers initially tried to arrest Nava Monday evening when they spotted him in the same area. They were familiar with the man due to outstanding warrants for his arrest. When they approached him Monday, Nava became combative, using pepper spray while reportedly wielding knives. 

Note: A previous version of this story stated Nava had outstanding warrants for property crimes, based on information provided by the Police Bureau. In fact, he had a warrant for felony identity theft and another misdemeanor warrant for resisting arrest. Law enforcement agencies classify identity theft as a type of property crime. 

Police tried to use a Taser and less lethal projectiles on Nava during Monday's attempted arrest, to no avail. A lengthy standoff ensued, including crisis negotiators. After a few hours, police decided to avoid further escalation and left without arresting him. Bystanders intervened to offer Nava food, clothing, and a ride to a nearby hospital.

The Mercury talked to two people who helped Nava after the police left on Monday, and said he was relaxed and unthreatening toward them. This description matches the Portland Police Bureau's analysis that the "suspect's aggression was only towards officers on scene," and he wasn't a threat to the public. Still, in the aftermath of the event on Monday, some people who live or work in the surrounding neighborhood were alarmed by PPB's decision to leave after a dramatic, lengthy initial response involving numerous officers.  

"I've heard some of the frustration and concerns [from people in Northwest.] I've also heard some of the appreciation expressed by Portlanders in terms of the approach we took on Monday to try and deescalate things as the incident unfolded," Police Chief Bob Day said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference. "The number one priority for the Portland Police Bureau is the sanctity of life, and we will always look to prioritize that in all that we do. That includes everyone's safety and the value of everyone involved." 

On Wednesday, PPB staff made a second attempt to arrest Nava. Officers also filed a new warrant for attempted assault on a public safety officer, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of mace, third-degree escape, menacing, and disorderly conduct, all based on Monday's events. 

The Bureau's Specialized Emergency Response Team was brought in and used armored vehicles to surround the man's tent, then tried to convince him to surrender, police said Wednesday evening. PPB closed the streets surrounding NW 21st and Hoyt, but people remained in the vicinity throughout, including children playing at the Metropolitan Learning Center and Couch Park. Police said they coordinated with the school to have students released on the south side of the building, away from the police activity. 

"Numerous attempts were not successful, so some tools were used in a careful, coordinated fashion over time," a PPB news release states. After deploying a combination of weapons typically used for crowd control, police say the man emerged from the tent. 

Nava was taken to a hospital for evaluation and will be booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center for his outstanding arrest warrants.

Original story below.

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3:23 pm, Tuesday, April 16: An hours-long standoff Monday evening in Northwest Portland ended with police leaving the scene and bystanders intervening to aid a man armed with knives and pepper spray.

Police say they made a strategic decision to de-escalate, hoping to prevent further violence.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, Central Precinct officers were patrolling the area around NW 21st and Hoyt around 6 pm Monday, when they spotted a man they recognized, who allegedly had an outstanding warrant. When they tried to arrest him, police claim he became combative, pepper spraying at least one officer and allegedly lunging toward them while wielding two knives.

He then fled on foot to the patio of Scottie's Pizza Parlor, located nearby at NW 21st and Irving.

Several additional officers arrived on scene and reportedly tried to use a Taser and less-lethal projectiles on the man, unsuccessfully. Private cell phone video shared with the Mercury shows a shirtless man shouting back and forth with police from a bus stop shelter. The glass on the bus shelter was later shattered by police projectiles. TriMet confirmed the shelter was repaired the following morning.

A crisis negotiation team was brought in and a shelter-in-place order was issued to nearby businesses and residents. Roads in the area were closed off and a few businesses were evacuated, according to police. PPB confirmed a "significant amount" of Central Precinct officers responded to the scene.

Police say they tried to negotiate with the man, who hasn't been publicly identified, for roughly three hours. Eventually, they left the scene and bystanders ended up offering him food, clothing, and a ride to a nearby hospital to address large wounds he incurred, according to witnesses.

“Although the suspect was armed with two large knives and a large can of pepper spray, the incident commander determined that the threat to the public had dissipated, and the suspect’s aggression was only towards officers on scene,” a public alert from PPB, issued around 10 pm Monday night, stated. “After officers backed away, community members checked on the suspect and have given him food and money.”

Police told the Mercury the decision to disengage with the man was an effort to de-escalate the situation, and prevent further use of force. 

"This is always a careful balance of weighing the severity of the situation with the possible use of force," Terri Wallo Strauss, a PPB spokesperson, said via email. "We had used every less lethal tool as well as the Crisis Negotiations Team. The suspect was beginning to make further plans to burrow in and officers truly believed that the situation would not be resolved without some kind of force. The Incident Commander finally made the decision that police were escalating the situation and should withdraw."

The incident put police policies and decision making under a public spotlight. Amid increased public pressure to reduce the reliance on lethal force and employ de-escalation tactics more frequently, PPB has reevaluated its directives and protocols in recent years. 

Some bystanders appreciated that police left, rather than agitating the man further. Others questioned the decision to leave an injured, armed, and potentially erratic man in a public area. 

Jude Thornberry, a witness who was present in the area throughout the standoff, recalled seeing "passersby walking past the man, who was still hiding in front of Scottie's (Pizza), unaware that he was armed." 

After police disengaged with the man, Thornberry said "a group of four to five community members spoke with him for a while, gave him water and a jacket, and then two of them escorted him around the corner." Thornberry said the bystanders who intervened wanted to take the man to Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital to get stitches in his hand. It's unclear if he received medical aid. 

"It was very strange," Thornberry told the Mercury. "It was a striking contrast to the scene the police created earlier in the day, with [so many] officers surrounding him with tasers and guns drawn for hours." 

Wallo Strauss said officers disengaged from the standoff, "but continued to monitor his actions from afar." 

"Certainly if he had threatened anyone they would have moved back in," Wallo Strauss said.

Police say they plan to arrest the man at a later date.