Teen stabbed on MAX sues Portland for failing to jail attacker before 2023 incident

Two people were stabbed near the SE Flavel MAX station in Portland on September 2, 2023 (KOIN)

PORTLAND, OregonKOIN) – A teenager who was stabbed on a Portland MAX train is suing the city, claiming authorities had multiple opportunities to jail the attacker before the September 2023 incident, according to court documents.

The suit, filed May 31, seeks $8 million in damages – as first reported The Oregonian/OregonLive – and comes after Adrian Cummins was sentenced to 18 years in prison in March for the attack.

The trial highlights several run-ins between Portland police and Cummins before the stabbing.

First, court documents note Cummins' previous felony conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Florida in February 2018.

The lawsuit then alleges several run-ins with Portland police, beginning on April 27, 2023, when officers allegedly responded to a fight involving Cummins at a MAX station. According to the complaint, Portland police recovered a firearm and silencer belonging to Cummins and learned of his felony conviction in Florida.

Cummins was charged with criminal possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a silencer, according to court documents.

The suit claims that in another incident on July 7, 2023, Cummins brandished a knife at a private security guard at Union Station. In response, police issued a criminal citation to Cummins for threatening with a knife and unlawful use of a deadly weapon, requiring Cummins to appear in court on August 10, 2023.

After he failed to appear in court the next day, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Angela F. Lucero issued an arrest warrant for Cummins, who ordered law enforcement to arrest him and keep him in custody until his next court appearance scheduled for September 27, 2023., the complaint states.

On August 23, Cummins was arrested at Portland State University for urinating near Millar Library. Authorities with the Portland Police Bureau issued Cummins a summons for carrying concealed weapons — after he was allegedly found with two knives — and released him, according to court documents.

The lawsuit claimed there was another incident with police before the stabbing, on Aug. 30, in which Cummins was arrested by PPB for walking on the sidewalk and released.

The lawsuit claims the city was negligent because authorities knew of Cummins' criminal history, including his “persistent acquisition and possession of deadly weapons” and his arrest warrant leading to the MAX stabbing from September 2.

After the attack, Cummins, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of assault, attempted murder, attempted robbery and bias crime after the incident in the Lents neighborhood. an injured teenager.

KOIN 6 News reached out to the City of Portland. This story will be updated if we receive a response.

Attorneys representing the teen told KOIN 6 News they do not comment on pending litigation.