Suspect arrested twice after allegedly carrying out two separate unprovoked assaults only minutes apart

Blue City Crime

Suspect arrested twice after allegedly carrying out two separate unprovoked assaults only minutes apart

Santos Puerto-Rios attacked 69-year-old woman and 21-year-old man on same day before being freed from custody

Stepheny Price Fox News

Published

December 3, 2025 7:06pm EST

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for December 3

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com.

NEW

You can now listen to Fox News articles!

A Portland man was arrested twice in less than a week for two separate unprovoked assaults, including an attack on a 69-year-old woman, after being released from jail following the first incident, according to police.

Police say the first assault occurred the morning of Nov. 25, 2025, when a 21-year-old man reported being punched in the face by a stranger without warning.

Officers arrested 24-year-old Santos Puerto-Rios and booked him into the Multnomah County Detention Center on a Fourth-Degree Assault charge. He was later released from custody.

Days later, investigators learned of a second attack that had happened the same day.

BLUE STATE OFFICIAL RELEASES MAN WITH NO BAIL WHO RETURNS ONE HOUR LATER TO ASSAULT SAME WOMAN: POLICE

Officer arrests Santos Puerto-Rios, 24, of Portland

Portland Police arrested a man they say is suspected of unprovoked assaults on a 21-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman that happened twice in a week. (Portland Police Department)

On Nov. 28, relatives of a 69-year-old woman contacted police to report that she had been assaulted outside her home on Nov. 25. According to authorities, an unidentified man approached her, struck her without provocation, and ran off.

Detectives later identified Puerto-Rios as the suspect. Police did not provide details about the woman’s condition.

The woman’s granddaughter posted about the assault on social media in the days that followed, asking the public for help identifying the attacker.

BLUE CITY PERP WITH 50+ ARRESTS ACCUSED OF PUSHING STRANGER ONTO TRAIN TRACKS IN FIFTH ATTACK THAT DAY: REPORT

"NEED HELP IDENTIFYING THIS MAN. He hit my grandma for no reason and ran off. She now has deep bruises from the fall," she wrote in her original post.

Puerto-Rios was located and arrested again on Dec. 2, once more on a Fourth-Degree Assault charge. Police said additional charges may be considered, and that both attacks appear to have been random.

After the second arrest, the granddaughter shared an update thanking the community.

BLUE CITY CRIME CRISIS: REPEAT OFFENDER STRIKES AGAIN AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN MURDER

Portland Police announced the arrest of a suspect linked to two unprovoked attacks minutes apart. (Facebook)

"To everyone that was following the story of my grandma getting assaulted by that random man…the police arrested him today! One week later! We came to find out that he assaulted another man that day. Thank you everyone for all your support and help!!"

The case has renewed scrutiny of Multnomah County’s release practices and raised questions about why Puerto-Rios was freed after the first arrest.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said his office had attempted to keep him in custody, noting prosecutors filed a probable cause affidavit asking that he remain jailed until a judge could review the case. Puerto-Rios, however, was released before any judge saw the request.

"This is an infuriating example of a gap in Oregon law," Vasquez said, calling the release a missed opportunity to prevent further harm. He added that Puerto-Rios later failed to appear for a scheduled court date, disrupting the justice process.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"We appreciate the effort by Portland Police to quickly identify and apprehend the suspect," Vasquez said.

The Portland Police Bureau extended well-wishes to both victims and urged anyone with information about the assaults to contact investigators at crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.

Suspect arrested twice after allegedly carrying out two separate unprovoked assaults only minutes apart