By Diana Kruzman
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A 38-year-old woman has been charged with assaulting a public safety officer and unlawful use of a weapon after she allegedly attacked a police officer and used his own baton to beat him as he tried to assist her following a motorcycle crash.
Angela Dunson, of Portland, was transported to the hospital and treated for injuries suffered in the crash in Southeast Portland on Friday evening before being turned over to the Multnomah County Detention Center.
Police say an officer was driving to respond to a call with his police lights and siren activated when a motorcycle rider in front of him started to speed up, then lost control and crashed. The officer pulled over to try to help her and “address the dangerous driving behavior,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement, but the rider got up and ran away.
A struggle ensued when the officer attempted to take her into custody, and police say Dunson attempted to grab the officer’s Taser, then grabbed his expandable baton. She is accused of using the baton to assault the officer.
After another officer arrived at the scene and used his Taser on Dunson, she was taken into custody while the officer she allegedly attacked was transported to the hospital. He has since been treated and released.
Dunson was previously convicted of unlawful use of a firearm in 2017 after shooting up her boyfriend’s car following an argument, according to court documents.
Dunson has also been charged with second-degree attempted assault, third-degree robbery, third-degree escape, interfering with a police officer, attempting to elude by vehicle and on foot, reckless driving and providing false information to a police officer.
It was not immediately clear whether Dunson had been assigned an attorney. The Oregonian/OregonLive attempted to contact several phone numbers associated with her Saturday morning but was not successful.
©2019 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)