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Original article here: <broken link removed>
Three suspects still on the loose in violent 'wilding spree'
10:06 AM PDT on Thursday, August 21, 2008
By DAVID KROUGH and TERESA BLACKMAN, kgw.com Staff
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police arrested one man who they believe was part of the recent string of attacks and "wilding spree" in North Portland but three men are still on the loose.
In an exclusive report, KGW has learned that Benjamin Gonzales, 25, was arrested after police following a tip raided his rental home in Vancouver and found evidence that they believe linked him to the attacks. Police were still searching for the other three suspects.
Police arrested 25-year-old Ben Gonzalez on Robbery and Assault charges in connection with the attacks.
Five people were beaten and robbed by a roaming band of attackers and police offered a reward Tuesday for help nabbing four suspects on the loose.
Neighbors said Gonzales' apartment has been a beehive of drug activity and a red truck was parked out front that resembled the one seen in surveillance video circulated by police.
Gordon Donald said hes found syringes and other drug paraphernalia in the parking lot as well as "cars coming in with their booming music and cars running in and out of the driveway."
Other neighbors said that Gonzales had a history of violence.
Neighbor Wrickey Robidoux told KGW that recently, he [Gonzales] had just pulled up in his truck, literally gets out of the truck, goes into the apartment, rips the guy out on the porch and his actually kneeling over him on the porch, pounding the dudes head into the porch.
According Portland Sergeant Brian Schmautz, the 'wilding spree' started when a driver pulled up next to a red pickup stopped in the middle of the road at the intersection on Northeast Columbia and 33rd around 4 a.m. August 12. That's when the four suspects started throwing things at the driver, according to police.
When he tried to pull away, the pickup chased after, and someone threw something that shattered the drivers window, covering him in broken glass and cuts on his arms and legs.
The victim told police the truck then tried to run him off the road.
Just minutes later, investigators said the attackers turned their rage on a transient at the Shell Station on North Interstate, punching him in the head, stomping on him and hitting the victim in the head with a full can of beer before swiping his backpack.
Station surveillance cameras caught pictures of the four and their truck.
Within the next 15 minutes officers said members of the gang punched a car passenger delivering newspapers on N. Olin Avenue, then stopped to beat and rob someone on the 6100 block of North Lombard Street.
And it didnt end there.
A little over an hour later, two of the suspects threatened the clerk of the Arco Station on Northeast MLK, before stealing cigarettes. Police said they then took the bat to another store employee as the beating was caught on tape.
"They went in swinging a bat around the store, tearing up stuff and they took off," station attendant Tom Adams said.
The suspects were described as:
A Hispanic man, 20-25 years old, 6-64, weighing 230 pounds, black hair, and brown eyes, with numerous tattoos on his neck, chest, back and arms, wearing a white tank top and dark pants.
A black man between 20 and 25 years old, 58, weighing 160 pounds, black hair, brown eyes, with short scruffy beard, wearing white tank top.
A white man between 20 and 25 years old, 60, weighing150 with brown hair, a slight moustache and a mole on right cheek near the nose, wearing a gray short-sleeve T-shirt.
A white man between 20 and 25 years old, 59, 150 pounds, wearing a black short-sleeve T-shirt and jeans.
The vehicle is a red Chevrolet/GMC full-size extended cab pickup with silver running boards and black bug guard with possibly Texas license plates, police said.
People were urged to call Crime Stoppers at (503) 823-HELP (4357) or visit CrimeStoppersofOregon if they had any information that could help investigators.
(KGW reporter Kyle Iboshi also contributed to this article.)
