Security company describes ‘ambush’ shooting on guard in North Portland

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A private security guard is shaken up but not hurt after his car was shot at this past weekend, and the suspect is still on the loose.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, shortly before 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning, a private security guard employed by Eclipse Security had his car shot at multiple times.

Mark Mercer, the owner of Eclipse Security, says one of his employees named Calvin was turning left at Shaver St. and Haight Ave. near Denorval Unthank City Park, after making the turn someone got out of a car and fired several rounds.

“It was basically an ambush. That’s what it was,” Mercer said.

Mercer said the guard was on a routine patrol for clients in the area, and that the shooting was completely random.

“Five bullets had missed the car completely,” Mercer said. “One bullet entered through the passenger front door, shattered that window and then continued on in front of Calvin and lodged itself in the windshield.”

Portland police say an on-duty officer was flagged down by Calvin several blocks east on Rodney Ave. after the shooting. The Enhanced Community Safety Team is investigating; the Portland Police Bureau’s special unit that investigates gun crimes. No suspect has been identified at this time. Mercer says with the shooter still on the loose, Eclipse Security is taking extra precaution.

“We’re not going to change our patrol tactics, we will change some training situations with our officers,” he said. “But there’s no way that you can ever be properly prepared for something like this.

This shooting happened about a week and a half after another private security guard from a different company was shot in Southeast Portland while on patrol overnight. A suspect has yet to be identified in that case.

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