What did Daniel Thomas Warren do? Portland police search for suspect named in 'racially motivated' attack

Daniel Thomas Warren (40) has been identified as the apparent suspect in a roadside racist attack that took place in Portland on June 15. The Portland Police Bureau is now looking for the suspect who violently attacked Darell Preston, a Black food cart owner, on Southeast Foster Road.

According to Alicia LeDuc Montgomery, Preston's attorney, the 36-year-old food truck owner was standing on the sidewalk near his cart, LoRell's Chicken Shack, in Block 3800 on Southeast 52nd Avenue. He was on the phone with his wife when at about 7:00 pm, a white man allegedly charged at him without any warning and started beating him while throwing racial slurs at him.

Disclaimer: The following portion contains graphic videos of a sensitive incident, discretion is advised.

A video of the assault was taken from across the street where LoRell’s Chicken Shack was situated, which showed a white bald man kicking and punching a man who was crumpled on the sidewalk. The victim appeared to be struggling to sit up as he was beaten back down by the attacker.

Passing cars were heard honking at the attacker to make him stop. When one driver yelled at him, the suspect stopped beating Preston and walked away from the scene.

---

Daniel Thomas Warren is yet to be found and arrested

On Thursday, June 29, after identifying the suspect in the June 15 Portland racist attack as 40-year-old Daniel Thomas Warren, detectives began treating the attack as a bias crime after they spoke to Darell Preston’s family three days after the attack.

Police said that so far, their efforts in finding and arresting Daniel have not been successful. Investigators asked the general public to call 911 if anyone locates Daniel or can provide information about his whereabouts.

Marc McDonald, Preston’s brother-in-law, created a fundraiser on GoFundMe on his behalf. The former wrote that the victim was blindsided by Daniel Thomas Warren and was repeatedly punched and stomped to the ground.

The food cart owner reportedly suffered a fractured face, a broken nose, and lacerations on his mouth and eyes. Darell Preston's wife drove him to the hospital where he was treated for his facial injuries. Marc McDonald further shared that the Portland Police Department was investigating the incident as an unprovoked and “racially motivated” attack as well as a potential hate crime.

Photos of Darell Preston after the attack were shared by McDonald on the GoFundMe page. One of Preston’s eyes was leaking blood and was swollen to the point he could not even open his eyes. The other eye was also swollen and bloody.

The victim’s attorney, LeDuc Montgomery, stated that Preston is yet to return to work as he is still recovering from the injuries. He, along with his family, are cooperating with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and the Portland Police Bureau to catch the attacker and bring justice.

On the night of the attack, East Precinct officers responded to the scene but said that initially, they were informed that a pedestrian was hit by a car. However, when they arrived, the fire rescue team, which was already at the scene, told them that there had been an assault and both the victim and the attacker had left the area.

After finding Darell Preston’s food truck near the location, officers received a general description of the attacker from him. They asked him to provide more details about the attack, but Preston refused to speak further on the matter. He also denied medical help from the paramedics.

---

Daniel Thomas Warren has past crime records

As per court records, Warren has a criminal history in Oregon that can be traced back to 2003. He was convicted of assault, strangulation, burglary, and domestic violence at the time.

Daniel Thomas Warren was arrested again on December 11 last year by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. His girlfriend reported him to the police claiming that Daniel punched her face five times and also bit her arm. Daniel Thomas Warren was sentenced on February 2, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree assault of domestic violence.

He had to spend 180 days in Lincoln County Jail. On May 24, he wrote a letter to Judge Sheryl Bachart of Lincoln County Circuit and told her that he had been working on his sobriety and anger management in jail. However, his attack on Darell Preston within a month of his letter has now proved otherwise.