Molalla PD officer suffers injury during welfare check at park

Published 7:14 pm Friday, July 25, 2025

A routine check turned physical in the early morning hours Friday

A Molalla Police officer was injured, and man is in custody, after an incident in a Molalla park Friday morning.

At about 6:20 a.m. on July 25, a Molalla Police officer was conducting a routine premises check at a local park, which is used for overnight camping for Molalla’s homeless community, when things took a turn.

During the MPD officer’s contact, an altercation occurred between the officer and a suspect, whose name has not been released. Moments later, the suspect gained access to the officer’s patrol car and barricaded himself inside.

Officers from the Molalla Police Department, as well as a SWAT team from Clackamas County, rolled to the scene.

After a short standoff, the suspect was taken into custody with no further incident. The officer initially involved in the check did sustain non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The Bloom and Grow Children’s Center at Main Street and Engle Avenue was put on lockdown around 7 a.m. and streets around the area were closed as the situation was evolving.

Molalla PD said the investigation is ongoing and is being conducted jointly by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Molalla Police.