“People in the crowd committed crimes when they erected a gate, put dumpsters in the street to block traffic, set a dumpster on fire, vandalized the PPA office with spray paint and destroyed security cameras,” Portland said. Police in a statement.
Shortly afterwards, Protestants broke into the window of the office and started a fire, police said. Security video from inside the office shows unidentified people throwing flaming punches into the office to make the flames grow.
Police said the people responsible “committed crimes of crime, burglary and attempted arson.” Police then declared a riot and ordered everyone to leave the area, including members of the press and legal observers.
When officers arrived to disperse the crowd, protesters threw “glass bottles and painted balloons at them,” pointing lasers in the eyes of police, police said. Three officers were injured, including two who were transported to the hospital and later released, police said.
Portland Fire and Rescue then put the fire out in the office.
“While officials were moving traffic, they came to areas of the street, where assailants built barricades with signs for street closures, picnic tables and other types of equipment. Riders on the other side of the barricade threw objects at officers,” he said. said the police. “At that point, officers could come around the barn and continue to push the assailants away from the containment area. About 300 assailants gathered at Kenton Park.”
The area was mostly cleared by 2 a.m. local time, police said, and several arrests were made. Police confirmed they did not use tear gas in the incident.
Last month, the Trump administration sent federal agents to Portland, apparently to protect federal property, a movement that local and state officials said the protests had escalated.
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