Portland demonstrators gather near police precinct, set fires
Portland surpasses 100 days of protests; Mike Tobin reports.
Officials have charged at least six more people at the state and local level in connection with the civil unrest and riots that have unfolded over the past several weeks in Portland, authorities recently announced.
At the federal level, two people were arrested and one person turned himself in for allegedly assaulting or attempting to harm police officers during demonstrations that sometimes devolved into what officials defined as riots, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon announced Wednesday.
William Grant Reuland, and Alexandra Eutin, both 24, and Pedro Aldo Ramos, Jr., 20, were each charged with civil disorder for separate incidents between June and August, officials said in a Tuesday release.
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"HIGH-POWERED LASERS"
William Grant Reuland (MCSO)
Court documents allege Reuland was seen “standing in the middle of the street and repeatedly hitting several officers in the face with high-powered lasers” on the night of June 13 in downtown Portland near the Multnomah County Justice Center.
As the night turned to early morning, a police officer saw Reuland shining the laser at homes in a residential Portland neighborhood, including Mayor Ted Wheeler’s, the press release states.
U.S. Marshals arrested Reuland on Sept. 4.
"WOODEN SHIELD AND HOSE"
Alexandra Eutin (MCSO)
Two days later, agents with Homeland Security Investigations arrested Eutin for allegedly using a “wooden shield and hose” to hit a Portland Police Bureau officer in the head on July 16 while he was making another arrest, officials said.
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She was initially arrested but was later released prior to being rearrested, this time by federal agents, on Sept. 6.
ALLEGED OFFICER PUNCH
Ramos surrendered to the U.S. Marshals Service on Sept. 8 for allegedly assaulting a PPB officer during a riot on Aug. 23.
According to the Justice Department, Ramos allegedly “grabbed a PPB officer by her vest while she was arresting another individual and pulled her away from the arrestee. Ramos then punched the officer in the side of her face.”
He was charged locally with assaulting a public safety officer and was later released before turning himself in on Tuesday.
Each was released after appearing in court on the federal charges and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
LOCAL-LEVEL CHARGES
Meanwhile, at the local level, officials from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday they had charged three others in connection with separate crimes allegedly committed during demonstrations or riots.
Randal Marcus McCorkle, 31, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, felony riot and recklessly endangering another person after an officer reported seeing him launching a firework mortar in the direction of police on July 4, the office said in a press release.
McCorkle was allegedly spotted “holding a tube at a 45-degree angle and pointing it toward officers,” the press release states, citing court documents.
“The officer saw sparks coming from the tube and saw a firework mortar launch from the tube and fly in the direction of approaching officers,” the release further states. Officers allegedly found fireworks in McCorkle’s backpack.
Jawad Fakhuri (MCSO)
More recently, Jawad Fakhuri allegedly threw a “glass bottle full of green paint” at a group of police officers during an unlawful assembly-turned-riot on Sept. 6, the DA’s office announced in a separate press release. The bottle did not strike any of the officers.
He later told authorities he had heard their orders over the loudspeaker calling for the group to disperse, but “refused because he thought it was just a 'warm-up.'”
Fakhuri, 35, was charged with felony riot, attempted assault of a public safety officer, interfering with a peace officer and disorderly conduct, authorities said.
Also on Sept. 6, a 36-year-old man was arrested after police allegedly saw him “lighting a mattress on fire in the middle of the street,” authorities said. Other people allegedly joined in, causing the flames to travel “dangerously high” despite the burn-ban in effect for the area.
Adam Layee (MCSO)
When police stopped Adam Layee, they discovered he was carrying “a lighter, a bottle full of liquid accelerant with a built-in wick, and fireproof gloves,” the DA’s office said in a separate release.
He was charged with felony riot, felony unlawful possession of a destructive device, reckless burning and one count of recklessly endangering, officials said. As of Wednesday, he was still being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center.
Portland has been gripped by nightly protests for nearly three months since George Floyd, a Black man, died while in the custody of police in Minneapolis on May 25.
The demonstrations, often violent, have targeted police buildings and federal buildings. Some protesters have called for reductions in police budgets while the city’s mayor and some in the Black community have decried the violence, saying it’s counterproductive.
Last month, the DA’s office announced it would “presumptively decline to charge cases where the most serious offenses are city ordinance violations and crimes that do not involve deliberate property damage, theft or the use or threat of force against another person.”
According to the office, these charges include interference with a police officer, harassment (when a class B misdemeanor), riot and disorderly conduct.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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