Port of Portland officials will examine an unauthorized evacuation announcement Friday night at Portland International Airport to avoid a similar future incident, a port spokeswoman said Saturday.

Someone -- likely an airport employee -- got on the airport's paging system shortly after 10 p.m. Friday and told people in baggage claim they should leave the building, spokeswoman Kama Simonds said. The announcement, which was not authorized by police or other authority, was made as Port of Portland officers arrested a man wanted on a warrant.

An unknown number of people left the baggage claim area as a result, Simonds said. Within minutes after the first announcement, another was made that the area was safe, she said.

Simonds said she did not know the identity of the person who made the announcement nor did she know precisely what was said in the announcements.

The circumstances of the arrest were unusual: A Port of Portland police officer found a man sleeping in the airport's baggage claim area, which is illegal, according to an investigative report written on the incident.

The 22-year-old man gave the officer a false name but the officer found his true identity to be Alexander F. Plata of Portland, who had a misdemeanor arrest warrant for a probation violation in Marion County, the report says.

When the unidentified officer attempted to place handcuffs on Plata, he resisted and "turned and fully grabbed the handle to the officer's pistol," the report says.

"The officer called for emergency assistance. Before cover officers arrived, the officer was able to pull free of the subject, maintaining control of his firearm. He ordered the subject to the ground. Even after cover officers arrived the subject continued to violently resist. He was taken into custody and placed in maximum restraint due to the level of resistance."

The report concludes by noting the "unauthorized announcement ... made in the baggage claim area of the airport stating there was an airport emergency please evacuate. It is unclear who initiated the announcement. People began to evacuate the baggage claim area of the airport. Police confirmed there was no other dangers and an additional announcement was made minutes later indicating that there is no emergency and the airport is clear."

Simonds disputed news reports that suggested the announcement was heard in parts of the airport other than baggage claim. It was not, she said.

It appears a single person decided to make the announcement, Simonds said, though she added she could not be certain until more information is known.

"There will be a full review of this," she said. "The Port will be looking at it, the police will be looking at it and there will be an attempt to get a full picture of what happened."

--Allan Brettman

503-294-5900

@allanbrettman