A group of rioters in Portland threatened to burn down a law enforcement precinct, hurled projectiles at officers and damaged police cruisers on Wednesday, authorities said.
Roughly 50 violent demonstrators, some of whom donned gas masks and shields, chanted “burn it down” in reference to a law enforcement headquarters in the city, according to a press release. Members of the crowd destroyed surveillance cameras outside of the precinct, tried to rip down a fence and used spikes to slash the tires of cop vehicles, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) wrote.
Rioters also hurled glass bottles and paint at responding officers, knocked down barricades, lit dumpster fires and tagged graffiti on both “public” and “private buildings,” according to the department. One video shows some in the group, most of whom were dressed in all black, fleeing from cops in riot gear, according to journalist Andy Ngo.
Overnight a mob of antifa in riot gear shut down the road in front of the Portland Police north precinct and started fires. They proceeded to hurl projectiles at police. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/l0rPVfJWpk
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 6, 2021
The “hours-long disruption” ended without the use of non-lethal munitions, and multiple arrests were made throughout the night, PPB wrote. The department has yet to disclose exactly how many were apprehended and what for, but footage shows at least one man, Sean Bascom, a self-proclaimed freelance videographer, being handcuffed by officers, according to Ngo.
“Press does not get to break the law”
Antifa camera man Sean Bascom (@baaascom) was arrested at the violent Portland antifa protest in north Portland overnight. pic.twitter.com/QjdHD1PVub
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 6, 2021
Bascom appeared to confirm his arrest in a Wednesday tweet.
I am out and okay. https://t.co/XvzcaPq3gD
— Sean Bascom (@baaascom) January 6, 2021
The violence follows an announcement from Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley on Tuesday that no law enforcement will be charged in the shooting that crippled Jacob Blake in August. Blake, who was left paralyzed after the Aug. 23 incident, was shot seven times in the back by Officer Rusten Sheskey after he appeared to disobey commands and attempted to enter the driver’s side door of a car where a knife was later found, the DA said.
Democratic Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler earlier in the week vowed to ramp up tactics against “Antifa and anarchists” within his city, as the area continues to be plagued by months-long unrest. (RELATED: Portland Rioters Attack Federal Courthouse With Molotovs On New Year’s Eve)
“My good faith efforts at de-escalation have been met with ongoing violence and even scorn from radical Antifa and anarchists,” Wheeler said. “In response, it will be necessary to use additional tools and to push the limits of the tools we already have to bring the criminal destruction and violence to an end.”
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