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Armed man gets on roof of Southwest Portland condominium, prompting police standoff

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said the suspect came down on his own late Wednesday night and was taken into custody.

PORTLAND, Ore. — For hours on Wednesday evening, deputies from the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) surrounded a Southwest Portland condominium where an armed man had climbed onto the roof. 

According to Sgt. Danny DiPietro with the sheriff's office, deputies were called out to the Sylvan Heights Condominiums on Southwest Barnes Road around 4:30 p.m. They were there in search of a man, later identified as 36-year-old Eric Lane, with multiple felony warrants including a "felony with a caution" due to the suspect's history, DiPietro said.

Salem police had been looking to arrest the same man for domestic violence and robbery charges, DiPietro said. The initial call came from the suspect's parole officer, who notified Salem police that the suspect was trying to contact the victim in that domestic violence incident at the Sylvan Heights building. Deputies were told that Lane may be armed with a gun he used during the incident in Salem.

When deputies arrived, Lane was uncooperative and climbed onto the roof of the three-story condominium, WCSO said. Negotiators tried to talk with him, but he initially refused. After about two hours, Lane brandished a gun, WCSO said. He later began responding to negotiators for several hours.

DiPietro said that Lane seemed to be under the influence of a narcotic of some kind and was "acting irrationally."

As of 11:40 p.m., authorities said he had come down from the roof on his own and was arrested. Lane was taken to the Washington County Jail where he was lodged on his felony warrant and additional charges.

During the incident, law enforcement used reverse 911 to ask nearby residents to shelter in place.

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