Jan. 8 (UPI) — A man and a woman said to be gang members are hospitalized after allegedly trying to ram a federal officer, who then used his firearm in self-defense during a targeted stop in Portland, Ore., on Thursday afternoon.
The Portland Police Bureau said local officers responded to a shooting report made at 2:18 p.m. PST and went to the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street in southeast Portland.
Responding officers confirmed that federal officers were involved in a shooting there, but local police were not.
The two are members of Tren de Aragua, and one was the target of a federal law enforcement action, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with UPI.
“At 2:19 PST, U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon,” McLaughlin said.
“The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland,” she continued.
“The vehicle driver [also] is believed to be a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua,” McLaughlin said.
“When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” she explained.
McLaughlin said an agent feared for his life and safety and fired a defensive shot.
“The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene,” McLaughlin said, adding that the situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.
The PPB said its officers at 2:24 p.m. were told a man who had been shot was calling for help in an area located near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside in Portland’s Hazelwood neighborhood, where they found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds.
The officers determined the pair were wounded in the shooting involving federal agents, applied a tourniquet to one or both and summoned emergency medical personnel.
“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” PBB Chief Bob Day said, a day after a federal officer shot and killed a woman accused of trying to run him over with her SUV.
“We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis,” Day said, “but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said in a statement shared with KPTV that the shooting occurred outside of Portland Adventist Hospital.
“My team and I are closely monitoring this situation and are working hard to get answers. I will share any updates as I learn more,” Merkley said.
“Please keep protests of Trump’s ICE/CBP peaceful, as Trump wants to generate riots. Don’t take the bait,” he added.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on federal agencies to cease immigration law enforcement in Portland and leave the city until a full investigation is done.
“We cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” Wilson said in a prepared statement.
“Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences,” Wilson cautioned.
“Federal militarization undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region.”
He reminded Portland residents not to “respond to violence with violence” and instead “respond with clarity, unity and a commitment to justice.”