On Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 4:20 p.m., Portland Police officers from Central Precinct responded to a report that someone was climbing one of the towers of the Hawthorne Bridge. Officers responded and saw the man up on one of the bridge catwalks.
Concerned that the man may be in mental health crisis, officers closed the bridge to all traffic and dispatched specially trained crisis communication officers who are assigned to the Enhanced Crisis Response Team (ECIT). Officers collaborated with our partners at Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) to ensure safety for all. PF&R helped outfit officers with safety harnesses.
Officers offered the man numerous opportunities to come down without facing criminal charges and offered him medical help. He was also warned that he could face criminal charges. Despite hours of attempts, the man refused to come down. Using time as a de-escalation tactic, officers backed off and allowed him time and space.
The man stayed up there all night. Other options were considered to address the situation, but all were judged to be too dangerous for the man and the responders. Multnomah County brought in signage to prevent traffic from accessing the bridge.
On Friday, February 21, 2025 at 9:00 a.m., the man came down on his own. He was arrested. Multnomah County inspected the bridge to verify it was safe to use. By 9:30 a.m., the bridge was reopened.
Rashawn L. Anderson, 44, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Criminal Trespass in the First Degree, Interfering with Public Transportation, and Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree (case 25-45210).
As primary responders to crisis calls, all Portland Police Bureau officers receive basic Crisis Intervention Training as well as annual CIT refresher training. In addition, the Bureau has volunteer officers from a variety of patrol assignments on the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team (ECIT). These officers will be the first responders dispatched by 9-1-1 to crisis calls that are determined to be related to an individual in crisis. ECIT officers receive additional training in order to identify risks during a behavioral crisis, utilize crisis communication techniques to help deescalate a person in crisis, and have knowledge of available community resources.
Information about the Portland Police Bureau's Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) and additional resources can be found by visiting the BHU website.
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