A Portland Musician and Business Owner Was Attacked with a Hatchet Outside His Storefront

Victim Mike Elias has been released from intensive care, but police are still searching for the suspects.

Mike Elias (far left) with Denver. IMAGE: Courtesy of Mama Bird Recordings.
By Shannon Gormley

This weekend, Mike Elias, a core songwriter of the country band Denver and owner of leather work store Ship John, was the victim of an assault and robbery that left him with a fractured skull that required multiple surgeries.

The assault occurred just after midnight on Sunday after Ship John hosted a Saturday night performance by Portland Country Underground, which includes local roots music icon Lewi Longmire, who has also played in Denver.

According to WW news partner KATU, Elias was walking out to his car after the event when he was confronted by two men on bicycles outside the store, which is on the corner of NE Schuyler Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

According to Portland police, the suspects attacked Elias with either a hammer or a hatchet. The assailants have only been identified as skinny white men in their early 30s. Police searched the area after the attack, but did not find the suspects.

Elias has been released from intensive care, which he announced on Instagram:

Local musicians Darrin Craig and William Morisey Slater have created a crowd funding campaign to help pay for Elias's medical bills. Anyone with information on the suspects is encouraged to call Robbery Detail detectives at 503-823-0405.

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