K-9 Rico Passes Away (Video Link) (Photo) - 04/16/26

The Tigard Police Department is sad to share that K-9 Rico passed away recently, after nine years of service to the community.

Rico celebrated his 10^th birthday earlier this year, and due to his age, he was expected to retire from police work in July. However, his health took a sudden turn for the worst and he died on Tuesday, April 7.

Rico arrived at the Tigard Police Department in April 2017 as a 15-month-old puppy. He completed 400 hours of training with the Oregon Police Canine Association and worked with two handlers over the course of his career, Officer Rivera (2017-2020) and Officer Suyama (2020-Present).

Over the course of his career, Rico worked nearly 3,000 hours (2,965) searching for criminal suspects, articles of evidence, missing people or in training. He worked on more than 1,000 (1,049) police calls, including 392 tracks, he found 121 articles of evidence, completed 116 building searches and helped capture 114 criminal suspects. In addition to supporting Tigard patrol officers, he also helped on police calls for neighboring agencies throughout his career.

With K-9 Rico’s passing, we now have two K-9s, Cooper and Ranum. As of now, we plan to continue supporting patrol operations with our two K-9s and do not plan on replacing Rico.

His personality, energy, love for playtime, devotion to his handlers and connection with the Tigard community will be deeply missed. A video of K-9 Rico over the years is available here: https://youtu.be/6hHUZgozi7I.

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Detectives Ask For Tips In Armed Robbery Investigation - 04/06/26

Detectives are asking for the public’s help as they continue to investigate the armed robbery of a jewelry store.

Around 6:08 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, 2026, two men walked into Kay Jewelers at 9312 SW Washington Square Road wearing masks and gloves, armed with a handgun and a hammer. One of the suspects began immediately smashing a glass case while the other suspect pointed the handgun at people in the store. Several employees and customers were there, and they hid for their safety. Thankfully, shots were never fired and nobody was hurt.

The suspects quickly left with an undisclosed amount of jewelry and drove away in a black Honda Accord, heading north on Highway 217. Officers from neighboring jurisdictions began pursuing the suspects, but the driver refused to stop and continued driving into Portland. At one point, the driver hit other cars near NW 14^th Avenue and West Burnside while eluding officers, causing minor property damage. The driver kept going and crossed into Vancouver, Washington. The suspects were not immediately found.

We are grateful nobody was hurt, and we understand the concern from some witnesses in the area, who initially mistook the sound of glass breaking for gunfire. We appreciate the quick response from our partners at Beaverton Police, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau as the suspects drove away.

While a specific suspect description is not available, the men were wearing dark clothing, masks and gloves, and were carrying a backpack, hammer and handgun. Investigators believe they would have caught the attention of other shoppers in the area, and witnesses may have captured them on cell phone or dash cam video. If you saw the suspects enter or leave the mall, or captured video that may help, please contact detectives at tips@tigard-or.gov or 503-718-COPS.

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Five Teenagers In Custody, Stolen Car Recovered (Photo) (Photo) - 03/25/26

Five teenagers are safely in custody and several are facing charges after stealing a car and running from police.

On March 25, 2026, at 1:41 AM, a graveyard patrol officer found an unoccupied stolen car at a gas station in the 11800 block of SW Pacific Highway. Police began searching the area for a suspect when they found a group of four teenagers at a shopping center nearby, who then ran from officers.

An officer quickly found two of the teenagers, and one was identified as a missing runaway from a rehabilitation home in Tigard and had two juvenile warrants. Unfortunately, the other teenager managed to escape from the officer.

As this was happening, officers began a drone and K-9 search, which led them to find another one of the teenagers on the roof of a business in the 8800 block of SW Center Street. He refused commands from officers to come down, so Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters assisted officers by giving them a lift to the roof. The teen was taken into custody and identified as another missing runaway from the same rehabilitation home who also had a warrant.

While officers continued to search for the two outstanding teenagers, the owner of the stolen car reported seeing two teens back at the Tigard Plaza. Police responded quickly and two more teenagers were detained and identified as missing runaways from the same rehabilitation home.

With four teenagers in custody, officers learned the group had been staying at an abandoned home nearby. An officer went to the home and found the teenager who had escaped from officers earlier in the night.

As a result, four juveniles were arrested on a range of charges that include four juvenile warrants:

• A 16-year-old girl, two juvenile warrants, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
• A 16-year-old boy, escape III
• A 15-year-old girl, escape III
• A 15-year-old boy, two juvenile warrants, trespass II, escape III

All five teenagers are now in the care of the Washington County and Clackamas County Juvenile Departments.

We’d like to thank our partner agencies for their assistance in responding to this call, including officers from Sherwood Police, Lake Oswego Police, Beaverton Police and firefighters from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

22 Stolen Handbags Recovered, Man Safely Arrested On Several Charges (Photo) - 03/19/26

A man was safely arrested after officers responded to a theft in progress that led to a short pursuit, the recovery of 22 stolen purses and several additional charges.

On February 28, 2026, at 6:15PM employees at a store on SW Washington Square Road called to report a theft in progress, where a man stole purses, loaded them into a waiting car, changed clothes and returned to the store to steal more. Responding officers saw a car matching the description of the suspect’s car leaving the area and tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver kept going. The suspect drove a loop around an uninvolved car in the middle of an intersection, then drove down SW Brightfield Circle. When he reached the end of the street, he took off on foot until he was cornered in a fenced yard and was safely arrested.

Officers identified the suspect as 31-year-old Victor Llarena-Moren. In the car, officers recovered 22 stolen handbags and a wallet that officers believe was stolen in a separate incident. Officers also found a second license plate in the trunk of the car and learned neither the plate displayed on the car, nor the plate found in the trunk were actually associated with the car. Officers further learned the Llarena-Moren had a suspended license and no insurance, so the car was towed from the scene.

During their interactions with Llarena-Moren, officers also believed him to be impaired. There was a woman who was the passenger in the car, and officers learned there was a no-contact release agreement between Llarena-Moren and the woman. After speaking with the store employees, officers did not believe the woman was associated with the theft and her name is not being released at this time.

Llarena-Moren was taken to jail charged with theft in the first degree (felony), escape in the third degree, violation of release agreement (contempt of court), reckless driving and driving under the influence of intoxicants. He was given traffic tickets for driving uninsured, driving while suspended and illegal display/switched plates. He was also booked on an outstanding arrest warrant.

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