Portland Police Respond To Suspicious Device At Hollywood MAX Station

PORTLAND, OR — A suspicious device found at TriMet's Hollywood Transit Center initiated an evacuation of the area and the closure of several nearby roadways, including the westbound lanes of Interstate-84, according to Portland police officials.

Around 12:30 p.m. June 9, Portland police were alerted to a backpack left suspiciously unattended on the TriMet Green Line train at the transit center located at 4110 N.E. Halsey St. Responding officers who first saw a suspicious device sticking out of the backpack called the Metropolitan Explosive Device Unit (MEDU) to the scene.

The Hollywood Transit Center is where Portlanders erected a memorial to honor Rick Best and Taliesin Myddrin Namkai-Meche, the men who died defending two teenage girls on May 26 after they were reportedly berated and insulted by Jeremy Christian — who now faces aggravated murder charges, among others. Portland poet Micah Fletcher was also seriously injured in the incident but did survive.

Once at the transit center, MEDU deployed a bomb-handling robot to investigate the backpack and suspicious device, police said. Nearby businesses were evacuated; Northeast Halsey Street between Northeast Caesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Northeast 43rd Avenue was closed; and westbound I-84 was closed from I-205 to the Northeast Sandy Boulevard on-ramp, police said.

Around 2:30 p.m. an explosion was heard. Police reportedly said it was a remote device set off intentionally.

After a tense period of examining the backpack and suspicious device, the threat was lifted and roads reopened around 3:45 p.m.

Police at this time are suggesting a TriMet rider left the backpack on the train to intentionally cause a panic. As a result, and after so many other recent incidents on MAX trains and near TriMet stations, police will increase their presence on TriMet trains and buses, officials said.

Police also encourage anyone who sees suspicious activity to call police or contact a TriMet employee.

Anyone with additional information about this particular incident is asked to call Portland Fire and Rescue Investigator Jason Anderson at 503-823-4636.

Photo Courtesy: Portland Police Bureau