Last Friday, an operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies concluded with the seizure of firearms and several arrests. The incident unfolded when officers from the Focused Intervention Team (FIT), patrolling in East Portland, identified a stolen vehicle being driven by a known individual with active warrants, as reported by the Portland Police Bureau.
According to the police report, Quahar A. Bell, a 20-year-old man, was behind the wheel of the stolen 2024 Land Rover Defender. Having recognized Bell and being aware of his potential to flee, officers were prepared with backup and spike strips used when Bell tried to escape the traffic stop they placed at Northeast Hoyt Street and Northeast 162nd Avenue. Bell, along with two passengers, subsequently abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a local neighborhood in Gresham, resulting in a perimeter set up by Portland Police and Gresham Police units to apprehend them.
Aided by police drones and a K9 unit, three individuals were tracked down and taken into custody, though one was later released without charges. An unrelated subject, also with standing warrants, was arrested by the Gresham officers. Inside the abandoned Land Rover and on the track, officers discovered two firearms…