LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (April 9, 2026) — A Salem man was arrested Wednesday after police say he pointed what appeared to be a firearm at workers remodeling a home in Lincoln City.
Officers with the Lincoln City Police Department responded April 8 to a report of a man threatening workers near Northwest 14th Street and Highway 101. The caller provided a description of the suspect, prompting a rapid response from multiple officers in both marked and unmarked patrol vehicles.
Police detained 36-year-old Omar Cortes-Santiago, of Salem, within minutes of arriving in the area.
Authorities said they were familiar with Cortes-Santiago from a similar incident in the summer of 2025. He was arrested at that time, but charges were not filed after witnesses declined to cooperate during court proceedings.
During the current investigation, officers interviewed multiple witnesses as well as Cortes-Santiago. According to police, many of his statements conflicted with accounts provided by victims and witnesses.
A search of Cortes-Santiago’s backpack revealed a replica handgun and a used methamphetamine pipe, police said.
He was booked into the Lincoln County Jail on multiple charges, including two felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of menacing, two counts of reckless endangerment, second-degree disorderly conduct, and possession of methamphetamine, a drug enforcement misdemeanor.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The case remains under investigation.
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