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Man arrested for unprovoked attack on 2 men in downtown Portland has lengthy criminal history

The suspect is accused of assaulting two men in their 80s, critically injuring one of them. He has previously been convicted of four felonies and three misdemeanors.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The man arrested on suspicion of assaulting two men in their 80s in downtown Portland on Saturday night has a lengthy criminal history including multiple prior felony convictions, court records show.

Officers were on an unrelated call in the area of Southwest 5th Avenue and Hall Street near the Portland State University campus when they came across an assault in progress at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, police said in a news release

Police said the suspect, 29-year-old Keffer White, was repeatedly punching and kicking two men, ages 82 and 88, and continued to assault them after they fell on the ground. 

The 82-year-old victim was hospitalized with critical, life-threatening injuries; the 88-year-old was seriously injured but is expected to survive.

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According to witnesses and video evidence, the attack was unprovoked, police said. Court documents filed Monday do not identify either victim, but state that the two men were strangers to White.

White was arrested shortly after police responded and was booked at the Multnomah County jail. He's facing two counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault. He also had an outstanding warrant. 

Court documents filed Monday show that White was additionally charged with two counts of intimidation. His bail was set at $510,000. He remains in jail as of Monday, according to Multnomah County booking records.

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Court records show that White has a lengthy criminal history prior to Saturday's incident, including four felony and three misdemeanor convictions, along with 22 parole violations.

The convictions extend back 10 years and include incidents in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties. His prior felony convictions include unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm and strangulation, according to court records.

Most recently, he was charged in January with one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, both felonies. That court case is still ongoing.

The court documents state that White is homeless in Portland and that he has been camping for the past 13 years. A mental health assessment states that he is diagnosed as bipolar and suffers from panic attacks.

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