Portland police are investigating a stabbing that occurred near Franklin Towers early Monday evening.
Police said they are not certain whether the stabbing happened inside the building at 211 Cumberland Ave. or outside. There was a trail of blood on the sidewalk leading to the front entrance, and residents said there was some blood on the floor inside the front entrance.
City spokeswoman Jessica Grondin said police are looking for a tall, black man with short black hair who was wearing a red shirt at the time of the stabbing. The suspect was seen leaving the vicinity of the 200-unit apartment building in a dark-colored sedan with two other people.
“The adult male victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries,” Grondin said in a statement Monday night.
Franklin Towers residents and staff didn’t recognize the victim as a resident of the 16-story high-rise that towers over the Bayside neighborhood. More than 230 people live there.
The state’s tallest building, Franklin Towers is owned and operated by the Portland Housing Authority. It opened in the late 1960s and serves elderly and disabled residents.
Sgt. Ben Noyes, one of the first officers to respond to the stabbing, said it appeared that the victim had been stabbed in the lower back.
Police put up crime scene tape around Franklin Towers and prevented residents from entering or leaving the building for about an hour. The stabbing was reported at 6:21 p.m.
Police also shut down a section of Cumberland Avenue, between Franklin and Wilmot streets, for about an hour.
Witnesses said the victim collapsed outside the entrance, and was treated there by rescue workers. A large pool of blood could be seen near the entrance.
Bob Witherspoon, who has lived at Franklin Towers for nine years, said he saw emergency medical technicians treating the victim for three wounds to his buttocks.
Witherspoon said he did not recognize the stabbing victim, whom he described as being in his 30s and having long hair.
“This is the worst violence I’ve seen here in my nine years,” Witherspoon said.
Donna Neault, a Portland Housing Authority employee who works at Franklin Towers, said the housing authority just finished installing 60 surveillance cameras in the apartment building. Neault was on her way home when she heard that there had been trouble at the building and returned to make sure everyone was safe.
She said police were reviewing surveillance tapes. “I’m quite confident we will catch the intruder,” Neault said.
With the installation of the cameras and new entry keys, security has never been better, she said.
“I’d like the residents to know that they live in a safe building,” Neault said.
Grondin said anyone with information concerning the suspect should contact police at 874-8575. To provide tips anonymously, people can text the keyword “Gotcha” plus their message to 274637 (CRIMES).
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