The 25-year-old man accused of stabbing two teenagers on a MAX train earlier this month was arrested days before the incident, but Multnomah County Jail nurses refused to admit the suspect for medical reasons, officials said.
A Portland police officer instead released Adrian Cummins on Aug. 30 and issued him a citation — and a future court date, as KGW first reported.
A review of court records in Oregon and Florida, where Cummins lived until at least 2022, shows Cummins had a history of missing court hearings, probation check-ins and other mandatory meetings with law enforcement.
Those who know the two Portland victims said the situation could have been avoided.
“For me, personally, I think there were plenty of opportunities to prevent this,” said Briana Rehana, a family friend of one of the victims injured in the stabbing.
Refused at jail
Cummins first came to the attention of Portland police in April when officers learned he was wanted in Florida on a probation violation for possessing a controlled substance. The warrant was issued in October 2022.
Police found Cummins after he was shot in the face in North Portland for allegedly refusing to leave a motorhome on April 5, police spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen said. Police arrested the suspect in the shooting, and Cummins was treated at a hospital. He spent a week in custody, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office records show.
Later that month, on April 27, police responded to the MAX station on Southwest 2nd Avenue and Yamhill Street downtown, where Cummins and another man told officers they’d both agreed to fight on the train before spilling out onto the platform.
TriMet surveillance footage showed what police said was a gun fall from Cummins’ possession, and they later said he also had a silencer in his bag. He was arrested that day on allegations of being a felon in possession of a firearm and having a silencer — then was released April 28, jail records show.
He did not show up for court June 2, records show.
A month later, police cited Cummins — whom they identified as transient — on July 4 for possessing what police said was fentanyl at Southwest Fifth Avenue and Oak Street.
On July 7, police responded to reports of a man swinging a knife at a security guard at Union Station. Officers arrested Cummins at Northwest 6th Avenue and Irving Street and confiscated a knife from him, Allen said. Cummins had abscesses on his face and police called for medical assistance.
Cummins was taken to a hospital and medical officials said he would need to stay overnight, Allen said. Police decided to issue Cummins a citation for menacing and unlawful use of a weapon.
He again failed to appear in court on Aug. 10, and Multnomah County Circuit Judge Angel Lucero issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Portland State University officers arrested Cummins again on Aug. 23, police said. Campus officers attempted to book Cummins into jail, but he was turned away again for medical reasons, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. He was issued a citation for carrying knives and released, OPB reported.
Portland police later stopped Cummins for jaywalking near Southwest Broadway and Oak Street Aug. 30. Officers noted the warrant issued for the menacing incident at Union Station and arrested him. He was taken to Multnomah County jail again but was refused booking for a “potentially infectious medical condition,” police said. Police did not elaborate on Cummins’ health, but bacteria in abscesses can be contagious.
He was served a citation and released.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson John Plock said that when someone is refused at the jail for medical reasons, the officer who brought the person to jail can release them by issuing a citation, taking the person to a hospital under supervision or temporarily holding the person.
On Sept. 2, TriMet surveillance footage showed a white man in a black sweatshirt emblazoned with the word “villain” jump from his seat after two Black teenagers walked by him on the MAX Green Line. The person police identified as Cummins then shouted a racist slur at the teens, one of the teens told police, and then stabbed that teen in the left arm and the other teen, a Parkrose High School student, in the chest.
As rescuers rushed the badly injured teen with a chest wound to Oregon Health & Science University for open-heart surgery, Cummins bolted four blocks.
At a Lents neighborhood convenience store at Southeast 92nd and Flavel Street, Cummins allegedly stole snacks, including a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie, pulled a 3.5-inch serrated knife on a clerk and a customer and then fled.
Florida history
Cummins has a criminal history dating as far back as 2014 when he was a teenager, according to Florida records. Florida police arrested him numerous times in Seminole, Orange and Flagler counties. Charges included domestic violence, drug use, theft, kidnapping and sexual assault, among others.
Several of the arrests were for missing court dates or violating parole, court records show.
Cummins was sentenced to three years in prison in Orange County for kidnapping, sexual battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he held a woman hostage in her apartment in 2017, according to court records.
The victim reported that she invited Cummins to her apartment to watch movies. He then used a kitchen knife to threaten her, locking the door and forcing her to take off her clothes. He attempted multiple times to sexually assault her, strangled her and abused her dog, WKMG 6 reported. Local news also reported that Cummins forced the woman to make him dinner, and after attempting to sexually assault her again, left the apartment.
Cummins was released in July 2020, booking records show.
One year later, Cummins was arrested again in Flagler County for allegedly stealing a car from North Carolina. Deputies allegedly found a folded up dollar bill with traces of fentanyl, according to reporting by The Observer. He was not sent to prison but was sentenced to four additional years of probation, records show.
Cummins was indicted on 12 charges in the Sept. 2 stabbing, including second-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree bias crime and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, among others.
Cummins’ attorney, Alicia Hercher, entered not guilty pleas Wednesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court on his behalf.
He remains in the Multnomah County Detention Center.
The teen who had open-heart surgery is recovering at home, said family friend Briana Rehana: “It didn’t break him.”
The family posted a GoFundMe to help cover medical expenses.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
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