Someone is throwing cans at people, cars from a downtown high-rise in Portland

Lauren Ellis, a bartender at Higgins, told KOIN 6 it’s hard to pinpoint what unit from Ladd Tower the cans are coming from, making it hard to hold anybody responsible. 

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) —  Someone has reportedly been throwing cans of food off of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Portland for weeks.

The cans have been crashing onto the ground, damaging cars and putting people’s safety at risk. People who walk and work in the area have now been voicing their concerns. 

KOIN 6 News spoke with someone who had their property damaged. For workers at Higgins Restaurant, it became a reality to witness cans thrown from a building whizzing by them, barely missing, and sometimes hitting their car. Employees said they found nearly 10 cans. 

Lauren Ellis, a bartender at Higgins, told KOIN 6 it’s hard to pinpoint what unit from Ladd Tower the cans are coming from, making it hard to hold anybody responsible. 

Last month, she said a coworker at the restaurant warned her someone was throwing canned goods from the high-rise apartment building across the street from Higgins. Then one night, she noticed cans near her car after her shift. It wasn’t until the next morning that she saw the car roof had been dented. 

“I kind of looked at my car at first to see there wasn't any initial damage and didn't think to look at the top of my car,” Ellis said. “I'm lucky it didn't hit the windshield or I wasn't in the vehicle when the can hit my car.”

Nearly six weeks ago, the Portland Police Bureau received the first report of a car being damaged by canned goods. They said the person responsible is reportedly occupying an upper-level apartment in Ladd Tower, making it incredibly difficult to pinpoint the exact unit.

Central Precinct’s Neighborhood Response Team is now investigating.

“There's been close calls with some of our employees and our employees have witnessed close calls with other pedestrians — almost seems like it's intentionally aimed for people walking by,” said Dylan Shmitt, a general manager at Higgins.

The cans appear to be coming from the north side of Ladd Tower, along Southwest Jefferson Street between Park Avenue and Broadway.

The Holland Partner Group, which manages the Ladd Tower, released a statement, saying in part:

"[A]t this point, our security team has not found any evidence of what is being described as coming from our building; however, we have urged them to contact police and our front office if they see something like this taking place from our property."

People who work at Higgins said they are on high alert.

“It's been happening in the afternoons when people are arriving for our evening shifts and so it's a danger to actual commuters and civilians out here,” Shmitt said. “The end of last week when our most recent encounter was one of our chefs almost got hit by it and exploded right next to him.”

Portland police said to contact them if you have any information.