Man Who Hit Portland Cop With Stolen Truck, Later Escaped From Police Headquarters Gets 8 Years In Prison

David Dahlen, who injured a Portland police officer on Christmas Eve 2020 while trying to escape on a stolen pickup truck, was sentenced to 8 years in prison earlier this month. The 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to his offenses that included driving a stolen vehicle and intentionally ramming into a Portland police officer in a bid to flee from the scene.

The concerned officer, Jennifer Pierce, needed to be hospitalized after suffering from a broken pelvis due to the impact. But, as per a police spokesperson, Officer Pierce has made a full recovery and is back on her job, working full-time as a detective at present.

The incident happened when Dahlen had stopped at a gas station at Southeast Cesar E. Chavez and Powell boulevards with the stolen vehicle. Officer Pierce, who received a report about the stolen truck, proceeded to box the vehicle with her patrol car to prevent his escape.

As per police reports, as soon as Pierce stepped out of the car, Dahlen drove forward and rammed into the officer, pinning her between the truck and the patrol car. The officer fired twice at the truck, even as Dahlen attempted to hit her a second time. While the officer was successful in freeing herself by falling inside the patrol vehicle, Dahlen made an escape. Fortunately, no one was injured in the gunfire.

After a brief chase in Southeast Portland, the police successfully captured Dahlen on 2nd January 2021. But, the man-made headlines after managing to flee from police custody within just five hours of being arrested. This incident occurred due to the negligence of a cleaning crew worker, who accidentally left the door of his holding cell open.

Taking advantage of this error, Dahlen fled from the detective division of the Police Bureau located in the downtown Multnomah County Justice Center. But his efforts did not pay off well, as he was nabbed a few days later, on 8th January 2021, in Southeast Portland’s Lents Park.

This time, he was arrested by the members of a fugitive task force, who found him inside a car. Although Dahlen tried to evade the police this time too by taking off with the car, his plan failed as the vehicle crashed. As per police sources, the criminal tried to run but was soon taken under custody by the officers.

Car stealing isn’t new in Portland. As per statistics published by the Portland Police Bureau, around 1028 vehicles were reported stolen in January 2022 itself. And if we are to go by the demand for Portland Car Accident Lawyers, traffic accidents are also relatively common in the city. But, the fact that the driver had chosen to escape by intentionally ramming into the police officer’s car is what made this case stand out from the rest.

This should have been a simple case of a police officer stopping a person on suspicion of driving a stolen car. But, Dahlen tried to avoid being held accountable for his crime by deciding to crash into the police officer instead. Therefore, his crime was considered no less than an attempt to murder.

As such, Dahlen was originally charged with first-degree attempted murder. But the charges don’t end here. The 25-year-old was also charged with assaulting a public safety officer in July last year. This incident occurred at the Inverness Jail in Northeast Portland, where he was kept after his arrest.

According to court records, Dahlen pleaded guilty to intentional first-degree assault, attempting to escape from a police officer, and engaging in unauthorized use of a vehicle at Multnomah County Circuit Court.