PORTLAND, Ore — Portland Police on Tuesday evening arrested the suspect accused of stabbing an off-duty Portland Fire & Rescue lieutenant at a bar near Providence Park Saturday.
Carroll McClendon, 30, was arrested without incident near the 5900 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Boulevard. Police were following up on an anonymous tip they logged at 6:09 p.m.
McClendon was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Assault II and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
Earlier Tuesday, police had named McClendon as their suspect in the Saturday night stabbing.
They described him as a man without a fixed address who is most often downtown or in the inner Southeast neighborhoods. They said he should be considered dangerous and was likely armed with a knife.
Last Saturday night, police and medical personnel were called to Kingston Sports Bar & Grill at 2021 S.W. Morrison Street at about 8:05 p.m. on the report that a man had been stabbed there.
Court documents identified the victim as Paul Komanecky.
Portland Fire & Rescue Chief Sara Boone called the incident "an unprovoked attack" in a statement released Sunday. Komanecky and McClendon did not know each other, police said.
Court documents said the victim was at the bar with friends seated at a table that allowed him to look out onto the sidewalk. McClendon walked by outside and locked eyes with the victim and started to stare at him. He then came into the bar and walked over to the victim and "took a fighting stance."
McClendon started making threatening statements, court records say. Komanecky told police that he feared for his safety and the safety of his friends. In response, Komanecky told police that he pushed McClendon away. When he returned to his seat, Komanecky realized he had been stabbed once in the chest and once near his inner bicep.
Komanecky, who has served as a firefighter for 23 years, has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home, police said. The police investigation remains active as detectives seek out more evidence and additional witnesses.
The owner of the bar released surveillance video of the incident. KGW blurred the faces of people in the bar to protect their identities while police were still searching for the suspect.
"This is certainly a scary scenario where you have this random encounter where you have somebody that's wounded by a knife," Portland Police Bureau Sgt. Kevin Allen said. "Fortunately, it's rare. It does not happen very often, but we do always encourage people to avoid confrontation as much as possible, and if somebody is acting in a concerning way and people feel unsafe, they can always call us, call 9-1-1, and let us sort it out."
People who live near the Kingston area call the establishment a neighborhood bar. It's a popular spot for Timbers and Thorns games and attracts many regulars to their weekend breakfasts.
Jeffrey Blagg has lived nearby for nearly 10 years. He was disheartened when he heard about the stabbing.
"I think it can happen anywhere, but it's sad to know that it's this close to home and in a community that I've lived in for almost a decade," Blagg said.
Kevin Anderson stopped by the Kingston Bar & Grill Sunday for breakfast. He said he frequents the bar on game days as well. His reaction to hearing about the stabbing was mixed.
"It was not surprising, to be honest. I don't know. There's people that come in and out in this neighborhood. You know, we're close to Burnside, but a stabbing, that's outrageous," Anderson said.
The Portland Fire Fighters Association released a statement:
Yesterday, January 18th, 2020 and off duty Portland Fire Lieutenant was assaulted with a knife while at a local restaurant in SW Portland. The fire lieutenant suffered non-life-threatening lacerations to the upper body from an unknown person in an unprovoked attack.
We are greatly saddened by the news of our brother Lieutenant who was the victim of an unprovoked and random stabbing last night. He is an outstanding firefighter in our community and cares deeply about our mission to protect our city and its citizens. This random act of violence is deeply troubling to the more than 700 firefighters in Portland. We are glad to hear that he is now resting at home and in recovery. We wish him a strong recovery in the coming days.
Portland Police Bureau is currently investigating the assault; therefore, we will not be releasing any further information regarding the incident. Portland Fire Fighters Association would like to respect the privacy of our lieutenant and their family as the lieutenant recovers from the injuries and emotional trauma of the event.
We request that our media partners also respect the privacy of our member and their family.
If anyone knows the location or identity of the suspect, please contact Det. Shaye Samora at 503-823-0768 or shaye.samora@portlandoregon.gov or Det. Jeff Sharp at 503-823-9773 or jeff.sharp@portlandoregon.gov. The case number is 20-20370.