Portland man arrested after stabbing security guard

    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) -- A man was arrested Saturday morning after stabbing a security guard in the head with a makeshift weapon, according to the Portland Police Bureau.

The security guard was ordering coffee near Northwest 5th Avenue and Northwest Couch Street when a man walked up behind him and stabbed him in the head with a white plastic bottle that had two sharpened colored pencils attached. The suspect then walked away.

Judah Aley, owner of the coffee shop, Aces Barista, was there when it happened.

“At about 9:45 a.m. a security guard that’s a regular, he comes by to get coffee almost every day or just comes to check up on us and make sure all the baristas are ok, he came by to get his regular drink and while he was checking out a homeless individual that goes by Sam came up,” said Aley. “He had a homemade weapon and he just stabbed him in the back of head, neck area. It was horrible.”

Aley said she yelled at the suspect, who has been identified by police as 51-year-old Samuel J. Kusaj, as the security guard chased after him.

“It was a really hard hit,” said Aley. “I’m actually surprised he was able to run after him. I would have assumed it caused really bad head trauma. I ended up calling 911 because I didn’t know if he had any backup or was able to flag down anyone else. I was on hold for about ten minutes, but by then they told me they had officers at the scene.”

Aley said thankfully the coffee shop is located near the Portland Police Bureau. Officers found Kusaj on Northwest Broadway and Northwest Hoyt and arrested him. Kusaj was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of assault and unlawful use of a weapon. His arraignment is set for Monday afternoon.

The security guard was wearing a bicycle helmet, but the weapon pierced though the helmed foam and into his head. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.

“Honestly, I see a lot of violence on a weekly basis since I have moved into the downtown area,” said Aley. “I feel really sad about what happened to the guard that was injured because he’s a really kind person. I see him reach into his pocket and buy coffee for the homeless community. I have seen the way he acts with the community downtown and he’s just a really kind person. Just to see him get randomly get stabbed for no reason is just super heartbreaking.”

Aley said they see and deal with crime on a daily basis, saying their building has been vandalized and customers have been harassed among other things.

“We are located in a really a really hard area of Old Town, Chinatown” said Aley. “We are about to celebrate a year of business downtown, so I have been able to see what the police, security guards, service people and residents of Old Town see and go through on a daily basis and the challenges they face. We have a very good relationship with all the officers and security guards, they are very kind and come to check on us. We offer them discounts.”

Aley said the crime in the area affects everyone and hopes something can be done about it so residents, businesses, and visitors can feel safe again.

“I think it starts with the city actually enforcing the law because I see so much crime, property damage. I see people stabbing tires on the road, just so much crime and damage every day and nobody does anything when I report it.”