Portland mayor pepper-sprays man who confronted him at restaurant

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler pepper-sprayed a man who confronted and videotaped him and a former mayor as they left a restaurant Sunday evening.

According to a police report, Wheeler and and Sam Adams, who served one term as Portland mayor from 2009 to 2013, had been dining in a tented area.

When the two left, Wheeler said a man approached him and accused the mayor of dining without wearing a mask. Wheeler told police that the man stood close to him and he became concerned for his safety and contracting COVID-19.

According to a statement the mayor gave to police, Wheeler told the man of current COVID-19 regulations, which allows people to take their mask off to eat or drink.

“He then accused me of other things to which I indicated he did not understand the rules and should probably have a better understanding if he was going to confront people about them,” Wheeler said in his statement.

Wheeler said that the man stood close to him and he became concerned for his safety and contracting COVID-19. Wheeler told the man to “back off” and that he was carrying pepper spray, which he would use if necessary. When the man did not listen the mayor said he sprayed him in the eyes.

“He seemed surprised and backed off,” Wheeler told police. “He made a comment like, ‘I can’t believe you just pepper-sprayed me.’”

During much of a Monday news conference, Wheeler spoke about recent violent protests. The mayor reiterated that ongoing criminal destruction and violence occurring in Portland, which has been the epicenter of protests against racial injustice for eight months, is “unacceptable.”

Wheeler said people participating in criminal destruction, whom he described as “thugs” and predominately “middle-age to young white men,” should be arrested, investigated and prosecuted.

“I will never support acts of criminal destruction and violence. That is not how we make political points in the United States of America,” Wheeler said. “We are actually, unfortunately, seeing this growing trend towards people saying, ’If you don’t agree with me politically then we are going to come after you — either physically, or we are going to come after your home, or we are going to come after your place of business.’”

Wheeler, who was re-elected in November, has been targeted by left-wing demonstrators, including some who smashed windows and set fires inside his condo building.

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/us-news-violence-oregon-racial-injustice-portland-3f5231511a62aaec7228ee852d17e919