'Pistol-whipping incident' near Salem transit mall leads to arrest

A man was arrested in Salem and accused of menacing and assault in an alleged pistol-whipping incident, police said.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man is set to be arraigned in a Marion County court Thursday afternoon after being arrested and accused of menacing and assault in an alleged "pistol-whipping incident" the day before, police said.  

According to the Salem Police Department, 21-year-old Enrique King Hatfield was arrested Wednesday afternoon after he fled from a transit mall near High Street Northeast in Salem following reports from security personnel that he was waving a gun around.

The man “was unable to board a bus, shouted threats, and displayed a handgun,” Salem police said. “As the man fled, he pointed the gun at a passerby.”

Salem police responded to the transit mall around 3 p.m. Police eventually located the suspect near Court Street Northeast and Church Street Northeast. It was there that a witness reported the man allegedly “used the grip of a gun to strike a female bystander in the face, knocking her to the ground and kicking her repeatedly,” the release said. 

A brief chase on foot commenced but officers were able to arrest Hatfield and seize a handgun on his person, police said. The woman who was allegedly assaulted was treated on the scene by paramedics. 

Hatfield is now lodged at the Marion County Jail and faces charges of second-degree assault, two counts of menacing, unlawful use of a weapon and felon possessing a firearm.