The Portland Police Bureau released body-worn camera footage Aug. 26, showing the moments surrounding a lieutenant's vehicle strike on a knife-wielding suspect in Northwest Portland.
The footage, released 14 days after the Aug. 12 incident under bureau policy, does not capture the vehicle strike itself. Lt. Brent Maxey, a 24-year veteran, was not wearing a body camera at the time.
But other officers' cameras show Maxey's unmarked vehicle entering a tire shop parking lot in the 1200 block of Northwest 19th Avenue just before the use of force.
A PPB traffic crash reconstruction team determined the vehicle struck the suspect, Joshua R. Kuras, 33, at a closure speed between 3 and 5 miles per hour, according to the bureau's account of the incident. The impact knocked Kuras down briefly, but he jumped up and kept running.
How the pursuit started
The incident began at approximately 1:55 p.m. on Aug. 12 when two Central Precinct Neighborhood Response Team officers spotted Kuras near Northwest 16th Avenue and Overton Street. They had been investigating a July 20 knife incident in which a man allegedly approached a Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) parking patrol employee with a knife, slashed a tire on the employee's marked city vehicle and opened the vehicle door while armed.
Officers told Kuras he was under arrest. He ran, carrying what officers described as a large hunting knife. During the foot pursuit, officers reported seeing Kuras running toward members of the public, including a mother and her child.
Maxey, who had been attending a nearby meeting and was not in uniform, struck Kuras with his vehicle in the tire shop lot.
Standoff, drone destroyed, K-9 struck
After the vehicle strike, Kuras broke into a nearby business and barricaded himself in a basement storage area.
A shelter-in-place order covered the area from Northwest Overton Street to Northwest Northrup Street and Northwest 18th to 19th avenues from approximately 3:05 p.m. until 4:44 p.m.
PPB deployed an incident commander, K-9 unit, drone operators, Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) members, Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) members and a police robot operator. Oregon State Police also assisted.
During the standoff, Kuras destroyed a police drone and damaged a police robot. "We're gonna fill that thing full of tear gas if you don't come out of there," an officer can be heard saying on the released footage, as reported by OregonLive.
Officers eventually deployed pepper spray and K-9 Harcos. Kuras struck the dog multiple times with a metal pipe, according to the bureau. Harcos re-engaged and helped apprehend Kuras. The dog was not significantly injured.
Charges and investigation
Kuras was treated for minor injuries and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. He faces charges including unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, second-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of second-degree criminal mischief, interfering with a law enforcement animal, second-degree attempted animal abuse and third-degree escape, according to the Portland Tribune.
Under PPB policy, using a vehicle to strike a suspect is classified as a Category I use of force, the bureau's most serious designation. The Detective Division and Internal Affairs Division are investigating the strike as a use of deadly force.
The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has been notified.
Maxey remains on administrative leave, which the bureau called standard protocol. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which includes community members, bureau members and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.
Anyone with information can contact detectives at 503-823-0479, referencing case number 26-235171.
