A 77-year-old man was stabbed and robbed inside a Safeway grocery store restroom in Southeast Portland on New Year’s Day, and police arrested a 51-year-old suspect less than two hours later in the Powellhurst-Gilbert area, authorities said.
Police say the attack, reported around midmorning Thursday, left the victim with serious knife wounds that were treated at a hospital. Detectives with the Major Crimes Unit are leading the investigation. Officers booked Christopher E. Woods of Portland into the Multnomah County Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery. The case is in its early stages, but investigators said they do not believe the suspect and victim knew each other. The incident comes as officers review store and transit security leads and prepare to refer the case to prosecutors in the coming days.
Officers were called at about 10:05 a.m. to the Safeway in the 3500 block of Southeast 122nd Avenue, where they found the injured man and learned he had been attacked in a restroom. The man was taken by ambulance for treatment and was expected to survive after doctors determined his injuries were not life-threatening. Police began canvassing the area for a suspect description and direction of travel. Witnesses and transit security relayed sightings to officers searching nearby streets. “PPB is grateful for assistance of TriMet security helping track the suspect’s movements after the assault,” the bureau said in a statement. By 11:40 a.m., patrol units had located and arrested a man roughly a mile west, near Southeast 119th Avenue and Division Street, according to police.
Authorities identified the suspect as Christopher E. Woods, 51, of Portland. Jail records show he was booked on counts of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery and held for detectives with the Major Crimes Unit. Police said the victim’s name is being withheld while he recovers. Investigators said there is no indication the men knew each other. Officers are working to determine what, if anything, was taken in the robbery, and whether a weapon was recovered at or near the scene. The store remained open after officers cleared the restroom and collected evidence; no other injuries were reported. Police also asked anyone with information or video from the time frame to contact detectives and reference the assigned case number.
The Safeway sits along a busy commercial stretch in Powellhurst-Gilbert, a large East Portland neighborhood that straddles Southeast 122nd Avenue near Division Street and is served by several TriMet bus lines. Police said tips from riders and security personnel helped narrow the search corridor on New Year’s Day, when stores in the area were operating on holiday hours and foot traffic was steady. Court records show Woods previously faced an unlawful use of a weapon charge in 2017; the outcome of that case was not immediately available Saturday. The bureau did not provide details about the type of knife used Thursday or the number of wounds, and it did not release a motive, citing the open case.
After the arrest, detectives processed the grocery store restroom and surrounding aisles, pulled store surveillance video and coordinated with transit security to obtain additional footage from vehicles that passed through Southeast 122nd Avenue and Division Street around 10 a.m. Police said they planned to submit their initial reports to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office for review. If prosecutors file charges, Woods would make a first appearance in Multnomah County Circuit Court, where a judge could consider release conditions and set a preliminary hearing date. The police bureau said updates would be posted as investigators complete interviews and lab reviews.
Shoppers who arrived after the incident described a strong police presence around the store’s entrance and patrol cars staged along nearby streets as officers searched the neighborhood. Employees directed customers around a blocked-off restroom area while crime scene technicians worked. A clerk who was not authorized to speak on behalf of the store said the morning became “very quiet” on the sales floor as officers moved through the aisles. A TriMet security supervisor near Southeast 122nd Avenue said teams monitored buses and platforms, relaying tips to officers as they came in. The bureau said those coordinated leads helped officers reach the arrest location within 90 minutes of the 9-1-1 call.
As of Saturday afternoon, police said the 77-year-old man remained in stable condition and that detectives were still determining what was taken during the robbery and whether additional charges could be considered. The next likely milestone is a charging decision by the district attorney’s office and, if charges are filed, a court appearance for Woods early next week.