Drunken man assaults sister in Gresham, falls down ravine fleeing police

A man is in custody after drunkenly assaulting his sister and falling down a steep ravine during a rainstorm.

At 7:43 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, a 911 caller in the 2200 block of Southeast Meadow Court reported her brother had attacked her while intoxicated. The brother did not live at the home, and the victim told officers her brother was threatening "suicide by cop" as she and her children fled to a neighbor for safety.

Gresham Police Officers attempted to get the man to leave the home, but after a few times stepping outside to yell and curse at officers, he later fled out of the back of the home and disappeared into a heavily wooded area with steep terrain.

The Gresham Police drone spotted the man as a hot spot near the bottom of a steep ravine. He was lying motionless in heavy vegetation, and wasn’t responding to officers. Because of a rainstorm, it was dangerous for officers to get down to determine his condition.

Gresham Fire arrived and set up high-angle rope lines to allow several SWAT officers to get down the suspect. Upon awakening, the man tried to resist arrest. By 12:42 a.m. Friday, Aug. 23, he was hauled out of the ravine in a basket.

The man was arrested and taken by ambulance to be treated for several injuries from the fall at the Mt. Hood Medical Center.