A Portland white man has been charged in what prosecutors said was a racially motivated attack, but allegedly he was rejected from being locked up and serving jail time on multiple occasions.
Adrian Cummins, 25, was slammed with a 12-count indictment in connection to stabbing two black teenagers on a Portland MAX train. Police said on Sept. 2, teens “JM” and “DM” were riding to the Clackamas Transit Center when they were cussed out and called racial slurs by Cummins. Next thing they knew, Cummins pulled a knife on them, stabbing one teen in the chest and cutting the other in the arm. Cummins then got off the train to go to a convenience store and was caught by police after trying to steal snacks.
However, this whole entire time, Cummins could’ve been locked up for a serious of previous crimes he allegedly committed, according to OPB.
Read more from Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Charging documents say Cummins also used a knife during a separate incident on July 7, when someone asked him to leave a restaurant near Union Station in downtown Portland. After being asked to leave, prosecutors said Cummins responded by shouting an expletive, pulling a knife on a private security officer, and taking “four to six steps towards him while wielding the open blade.”
He was also given an Aug. 10 court date, which he missed. A judge issued a warrant for Cummins’ arrest and an order that he be held in custody until a Sept. 27 hearing, according to court records.
On Aug. 23, officers with Portland State University found Cummins urinating on the north side of Millar Library. Cummins carried two knives and an expandable baton, according to the police report. Officers said they noted Cummins’ outstanding warrant for the July 7 knife incident and arrested him.
So… why wasn’t buddy exiled from society until further notice BEFORE stabbing two Black teens? Officials say “medical and health reasons.”
A Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told OPB Cummins was turned away three times from jail because of said medical reasons—which could include medical attention for severe intoxication, open wounds or injuries better treated at a hospital, the report said. As a result, the hospital refused over and over again to release Cummins to police custody, keeping him out of jail.
Only now Cummins is behind bars on charges including attempted murder and a hate crime. Judge Steffan Alexander granted a preventative detention motion filed by the state agreeing that Cummins presents a danger to the victims or public if let on the loose, per KPTV.