PORTLAND -- A man licked another man’s face, damaged several cars and tried to bite an officer before being arrested in Southeast Portland Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Central Precinct officers responded to the area of Southeast 9th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard to look for a man who had reportedly assaulted a female.
Arriving officers confronted 32-year-old Matthew Joseph Medlin, who jumped on a police car, denting it, then climbed a tree and ran into a restaurant, said Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson.
Employees got the man out of the kitchen, and police were able to take him into custody after struggling to get him to the ground.
During the struggle, Medlin attempted to bite one of the arresting officers.
Medical personnel responded and sedated Medlin. He was taken by ambulance to a Portland hospital for an evaluation of drug intoxication.
After the chase, officers learned he had damaged three other vehicles and had attacked a man and licked his face.
Medlin is slated to be released from the hospital and booked into the Multnomah County Jail on charges of Burglary in the Second Degree, Criminal Mischief in the First Degree (four counts), Resist Arrest, Attempted Assault of a Public Safety Officer, Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree, and Harassment.
Medlin has a long history of criminal offenses. In February, Medlin was arrested when he was high on methamphetamine and was involved in a four-hour standoff with police at a Portland rail yard.
