Alleged flasher trapped in tipped portable toilet after passers-by became fed up, police say

PORTLAND -- A man allegedly caught flashing others from a portable toilet received more than he bargained for when fed up passers-by pushed the toilet over, trapping the alleged flasher in feces, Portland police said.

Portland police say a sergeant was flagged down around 8 a.m. Thursday about a 48-year-old man trapped in a tipped-over porta-potty near the Hawthorne Bridge. The sergeant ran to the scene, and found a porta-potty lying down on the door with a man inside.

Portland Fire and Rescue righted the porta-potty, police said, and freed the man. He was not injured, but was covered in fecal matter.

During the rescue operation, a homeless man told police that the man was standing inside the porta-potty with his pants around his ankles, showing himself to the public. A group of homeless people allegedly grew tired of the man's behavior, the person told police, and pushed over the porta-potty and ran away.

The people who knocked over the porta-potty were not identified or located.

The 48-year-old man was given a clean pair of clothes. He was not arrested.

The Portland Police Bureau discourages people taking direct action in circumstances like this and suggests calling 9-1-1 when witnessing an incident of public indecency.