Portland Woman Says She Was Spat On by Stranger While Buying Coffee at Powell’s Books in Downtown Portland

A woman, identified only as Kate, claims she was spat on by a man while she was buying coffee at Powell’s Books in Downtown Portland on Sunday afternoon.

In an interview with KATU, the local television station, Kate said she was waiting to meet her husband. In the meantime, she decided to buy a cup of coffee and a few books to help her with her new job.

She told the interviewer that she noticed a man staring at her. She described him as a white male, 5 ft 7 ins, brown hair and a beard, wearing a stained white shirt. She said the man was carrying a bottle of wine in a black backpack.

A spokesperson for the bookstore told the television station that Powell’s had reviewed the incident and watched video footage. He said the store’s Operations Officers had immediately responded to the incident at 4.39 p.m. and had escorted the man out of the building without incident within two minutes.

Anyone with information should contact [email protected] and reference case number 25-321841.