PORTLAND - A Portland park ranger was hurt after a fall Sunday while trying to subdue a man armed with a knife in Forest Park.
Police said rangers tried to approach 50-year-old Patrick Gerard O'Donnell on the Wildwood Trail near NW Cornell Road early in the afternoon after reports he exposed himself and harassed women who were hiking.
Police said O'Donnell pulled out a six-inch knife and attacked rangers Kelley D'Agrosa and Lionel Eyres before they had a chance to talk to him. Rangers with Portland Parks & Recreation are not armed.
"When he was trying to stab Kelley, [the female ranger] it hit her coat and slid down the side of her coat," said Kurt Nelson, Park Ranger Supervisor.
O'Donnell grabbed Eyres and they both tumbled down a 70-foot steep embankment, police said. Both were taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital with injuries.
Eyres suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs but his injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.
O'Donnell broke his pelvis in the fall and was being held in police custody at the hospital.
Police said park rangers have had numerous run-ins with O'Donnell in the past, but none this violent.
Detectives asked anyone who had contact with O'Donnell in Forest Park or any information to call (503) 823-0451.
The parks department is re-considering its policy on park rangers and weapons, following this incident. They are discussing whether rangers should be armed with mace or pepper spray in the future, to protect themselves.
