UPDATE: Portland Police arrest armed suspect who took bus driver hostage

PPB public information manager Mike Benner said that officers responded to reports of a man pointing a gun at a passerby in downtown Portland at around 12:15 pm local time. Roughly two minutes later, additional reports came in saying that the man had fired the gun, KGW8 reported.

Benner said the suspect boarded the bus, which had an operator and an "unknown number" of passengers. He ordered the passengers to exit and demanded that the driver take him around the neighborhood on the bus. The bus eventually stopped at 5th and Glisan, with the driver being allowed to exit. The suspect then reportedly threw his firearm out of the window. Police recovered the firearm but could not be certain that the suspect was no longer armed.

Video footage posted to social media by Portland-based photojournalist Tara Faul shows dozens of police officers in a standoff with the suspect who barricaded himself on the bus. Officers at the scene could be heard negotiating with the gunman.

After roughly three hours of negotiations, police officers deployed a flash bang and smoked the suspect out of the bus. Officers arrested the suspect and took him into custody, according to Faul, who was reporting live at the scene.

TriMet public information officer Mark Miller said in a statement, "We do want to commend our operator for their bravery and resolve in safely handling this frightening situation. Our thoughts are with them, as well as the riders on the bus and others who were in the vicinity of the incident when this senseless act took place. We are grateful that no one was physically hurt and thank police for their quick response."

According to TriMet officials, the incident resulted in the disruption of three MAX lines in the vicinity: green, orange, and yellow. A detour has been implemented for six transit routes that use the Steel Bridge, KATU reported.

The Portland Police Bureau will be conducting an afternoon press conference to address the situation.

This is a developing story. Please refresh the page for updates.