Portland police use crowd-control munitions on protesters
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland police fired crowd-control munitions toward demonstrators near a downtown precinct building Friday night and early Saturday morning.
According to a police statement, law enforcement used loudspeakers to tell protesters to leave, then officers used crowd-control munitions on the group. The release did not specify which kind of munitions were used.
Some protesters reported that one person was injured by the munitions.
Neither the Portland Police Bureau nor the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office immediately responded to requests for comment.
Police are barred under a temporary federal court order from using crowd-control munitions in situations where people engaged in passive resistance could be injured by the devices.
Portland Police Bureau news release:
A group gathered near the Justice Center on June 26, 2020, and blocked the streets and chanted. After several hours, the tenor of the group shifted and some attempted to barricade the portico door on the North side of the building with plastic road barricades and spray painted cameras on the building.
Additionally, some group members began dragging white plastic barricades from the lot behind a nearby business out into the street and placed them around the doors of Central Precinct. (Photo included of some of the barricades recovered).
The sound truck was on scene providing warnings and admonishments to the crowd members. While officers cleared the area, some crowd control munitions were used, but no CS gas was deployed. Laser pointers were directed at officers.
One officer was injured while effecting an arrest. The officer required medical treatment for the injury, which was considered non-life threatening.
Several arrests were made; information on arrests will be provided as it becomes available.
During the demonstration event, there were several fake calls reported to dispatch near the Justice Center including a report of a subject with a gun and someone shot. These were determined to be false reports.
Multnomah County Sheriff's Office personnel were present and responsible for the County portion of the Justice Center. Refer to them directly for inquiries related to their interactions.
