Man sentenced to over 9 years in prison after robbing Washington Square Mall stores at knifepoint

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was sentenced to more than nine years in prison after being convicted of robbery and other charges when he stole from multiple stores at knifepoint inside the Washington Square Mall last year.

Jesus Esteban Flores was sentenced to 109 months in prison and three years of supervised release for the crimes, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday.

Officials said Flores began a spree of crimes in a short period of time after he entered the Southwest Portland mall on September 17, 2023. Placing a large kitchen knife on a shoe counter, he asked a department store clerk for a pair of shoes in his size. Flores took them without paying, shoplifted a hat from an adjacent store then went outside to slip the shoes on.

He re-entered the mall, went to a different store, tried to steal multiple shirts by hiding them under his clothes, and was confronted by an employee. The employee backed off after Flores showed the person a knife in his waistband and stepped toward them. Flores verbally threatened the victim and brandished the knife in hand as he exited the store.

Soon, the security officers of the Washington Square Mall began to take action. One followed Flores throughout the mall. Noticing he was being trailed, Flores threatened the security officer, pointing his knife and making threats on their life outside a main mall entrance. The security officer backed off but other security officers watched from afar and alerted law enforcement.

What ensued was a confrontation between Flores on a bicycle and the Tigard Police Department that ultimately ended in his arrest. As the Washington County District Attorney’s Office explained in a release:

“Tigard police officers confronted the defendant as he attempted to leave the area on a bike. They identified themselves and ordered him to drop the knife. After the defendant refused multiple orders, they fired 40mm less lethal foam rounds at the defendant. Officers then seized the knife, returned the merchandise, and took the defendant to jail.”

Last week, a Washington County jury convicted Flores of two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree theft. He will serve his sentence at the Oregon Department of Corrections.