Portland PD: Suspect in attempted murder of officer fled after door left unlatched

(Update: Police detail what happened, promise investigation)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A man arrested on attempted murder and other charges after allegedly striking a Portland police officer with a stolen pickup escaped when a cleaning crew mistakenly left a door unlatched, police said Monday.

David Dahlen,24 was arrested Saturday for allegedly ramming a stolen pickup into an officer, Jennifer Pierce, while standing outside her car on Christmas Eve, fracturing her pelvis.

He escaped from a holding cell at the Police Bureau’s Central Precinct detective division while awaiting questioning.

Here's the details police provided in Monday's statement:

While Dahlen was in the holding room, two members of a contracted cleaning crew were doing COVID-19 disinfecting in the Detective Division.

The protocol during the pandemic has been to do daily enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, to protect suspects who are being held in those rooms.

One of the cleaning crew members opened the door to the holding room, then closed it again after they realized the room was occupied.

Preliminary investigations lead investigators to believe that the door did not fully latch after it was closed.

Some time after the cleaning crew members left, investigators believe Dahlen pushed the door from the inside, found it to be insecure, and got out.

Investigators believe Dahlen found his way to a stairwell, which are unlocked for fire safety reasons, and exited the building on a south side door.

A few minutes later, members of the Detective Division went to check on Dahlen and discovered that he was gone. The building was locked down and a search began. During the search, investigators reviewing video footage found that Dahlen was already out of the building.

Officers did extensive area checks downtown and monitored transit to look for him, but were unable to locate the suspect.

An effort is still underway to locate and recapture Dahlen. "We're asking for our community to keep a look out and call 911 if he is seen," the statement said.

Dahlen faces charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault, attempted assault of a public safety officer, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and second-degree escape.

As for the method of his escape, "the Portland Police Bureau takes the safety and security of individuals in our custody very seriously," the statement said. "PPB will be doing an after-action, which is a comprehensive internal review of our procedures regarding holding cells. It will contain recommendations for improving those procedures to prevent anything like this from happening again."

When officers tried to box in the stolen truck at a gas station, the driver rammed into Pierce as she stood outside of her car, according to witnesses. Pierce was pinned between the truck and her patrol car. The pickup then backed up and drove forward, striking her again.

Pierce fired her gun at the truck after she was struck a second time. The pickup, which had been stolen from a Portland auto shop, was found abandoned about an hour after the police confrontation.