PORTLAND – A man bit an officer who was trying to subdue him in downtown Portland Monday night, police said.
Officers responding to reports of a man trying to cause a fight near SW 5th Avenue and Main Street said they arrived to find Justin Hale screaming, flailing his arms, and running down the street after another man.
Police intervened and said Hale, 23, began fighting with one of the officers. They said Hale bit the officer on the upper arm on the outside of his uniform. Then, the officer used his Taser on Hale, but it had little effect.
“Several other officers arrived and gained control of the suspect and got him into custody,” said Sgt. Pete Simpson with the Portland Police Bureau. “Hale's bite did not break the barrier of the uniform shirt or penetrate the officer's skin.”
Hale was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on several charges, including harassment, attempted assault of a public safety officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
Simpson said the Hale had originally been chasing after was his ex-boyfriend.
Hale pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday.
