Violence exploded in Portland late Sunday just blocks from the federal courthouse after the driver of a pickup truck was apparently pulled out of the car and brutally beaten by a mob after a confrontation with Protestants.
Videos that emerged from the scene were cold. The man identified as the driver could be seen punched, kicked and ordered not to leave in the middle of a city street. The man in the video appeared at one point lost after the first attack, but suffered the worst blow when he absorbed a kickhouse kick to the side of the head.
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Portland police told Fox News in an email that officials responded to a report of an injured person on Southwest Broadway and Southwest Taylor Street at approximately 10:30 p.m.
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Sgt. Kevin Allen, a police spokesman, said reports indicate that Protestants “chased the truck before it crashed, and they injured the driver after the accident.”
He said responding officers “encountered a hostile crowd and a squad from the Rapid Response Team responded to help secure the scene while the investigation was ongoing.”
One of the videos posted on social media starts with the man on his knees in the city street surrounded by a group of people. The man tries to get up and someone shouts, “You are not leaving, brother,” and he is shoved to the ground again.
At one point, the man on the ground said he was not trying to hurt anyone, and, while kneeling, picked up several sticks because the group was not convinced he was telling the truth.
The audience seems to be dispersing from it, but that’s when another individual takes a running start and kicks the man in the head, that could be heard slimming down the sidewalk, according to the video. GRAPHIC VIDEO WARNING
Andy Ngo, a journalist who covered these protests, reports that the man crashed his car and the mob pulled him out and beat him senselessly in front of the passenger. He thrives & consciously. No police. “
Another reporter posted a video claiming to show the driver earlier who was harassed by Protestants and his female passenger attacked. Drew Hernandez reported that the driver escaped to evade the Protestants.
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Portland has seen 81 consecutive nights of unrest in the city following the death of George Floyd in police custody in May. While the protests for racial justice and against police brutality during the day are generally peaceful, and draw a broad sword of citizens, they have often become violent at night.
Nights of unrest that increasingly targeted the federal court prompted President Trump to send U.S. agents to guard the building in July, which intensified demonstrations by Black Lives Matter and often ended in violent clashes.
During the day, a riot broke out and police used ammunition for crowd control, including smoke, to disperse a gathering outside a building of legislation.
Authorities said people threw “softball-sized” rocks, glass bottles and other objects at officers. Two policemen were treated at the hospital after being hit by rocks. Eleven people were arrested.
Police told Fox News early Monday that the driver was transported to the hospital with serious injuries and the incident is being investigated.
Danielle Wallace of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report
