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Early Wednesday morning, an armed robber took a woman hostage on Portland’s Northeast 82nd Avenue and sexually assaulted her before she was able to escape and call 911 for help, police say.
Michael Story, 53, was chased through the streets of East Portland by police cars, a plane and a drone before being surrounded in a parking lot, where he shot himself. He died at the hospital, according to an account of the incident distributed by the Portland Police Bureau.
Story had previously been convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison for raping an 81-year-old woman in her Happy Valley mobile home in 2000.
The use of a drone in the manhunt was mentioned in passing by the bureau in a statement, but WW inquired with further questions. This is the second time this week Portland police have used their new drones to hunt down a suspect in a violent crime.
They used the “Small Unmanned Aerial System” to pursue two teenagers and 18-year-old Julius Whitehurst through East Portland after cops believed they were under fire from the trio. Whitehurst was eventually found in a backyard with an AR-15 and charged with attempted murder.
The drone program was unveiled earlier this year and launched a little more than a month ago with 16 certified pilots. The drone in this morning’s manhunt was piloted by the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit and is used “during tactical events upon request of Critical Incident Commander,” a police spokesman confirmed.