Inset: Pablo Figueroa being escorted by police following his 2024 arrest (KPTV). The bar where Figueroa witnessed a man win a $2,000 jackpot (KPTV).
A 62-year-old man in Oregon is set to spend several years in prison after he followed a man who won $2,000 from a bar lottery game and attempted to steal his winnings at knifepoint, resulting in the victim being stabbed 15 times.
On Friday, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Benjamin Souede sentenced Pablo Figueroa to five years and 10 months in state prison, according to court records. Figueroa entered a no-contest plea in March to charges of second-degree assault, first-degree burglary, and attempted commission of a Class A felony. In return, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office agreed to drop other charges against Figueroa, including attempted murder, burglary, robbery, assault, strangulation, and illegal weapon use.
As reported by KGW, a Portland NBC affiliate, the events unfolded on the night of Saturday, August 18, 2024, when the victim visited Montana’s Bar located in the 11000 block of Southeast Stark Street in Portland. There, he played a video lottery game and won the $2,000 jackpot. Afterward, Figueroa allegedly approached him and struck up a conversation.
Eventually, the victim left Montana’s Bar and walked the several blocks home to his residence in the Wy’East Plaza Apartments. Unbeknownst to the victim, Figueroa had been following him since he left the bar, trailing him all the way back to his home where he watched him open the locked security door, catching it before it could close again.
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Figueroa allegedly followed the victim up to the second floor of the building, waited for him to open his door, and then forced his way apartment into the apartment. Figueroa then tackled the victim, and repeatedly punched him while demanding money, according to a report from Portland Fox affiliate KPTV.
Despite the victim giving Figueroa several hundred dollars, Figueroa still pulled out a pocketknife and allegedly stabbed the victim about 15 times, injuring him in the face, chest, and arms. Per KGW, the victim said he likely only survived the attack when he decided to play dead.
The victim reportedly blacked out a short time after the attack and awoke to the sound snoring inside of his apartment. He said was able to get away when he realized that following the attack, Figueroa had fallen asleep.
“Mr. Figueroa had the money and could have left my apartment,” the victim said in court, according to The Oregonian, “but instead decided to sit at my kitchen table and watch me die.”
Police obtained surveillance footage from inside and outside of the apartment building and found there was no footage of Figueroa exiting the building. During a search of the area, investigators said they discovered Figueroa hiding inside of the building’s garbage room. Police noted that his pants were covered in blood and he was carrying $624 in cash on his person. The pocketknife used to attack the victim was recovered from inside of a box of cat litter.
At the time of his arrest, Figueroa reportedly had several outstanding warrants for his arrest for repeatedly failing to appear in court on charges such as identity theft and auto theft. He had previously been convicted on charges of failing to report as a sex offender.
