‘Crowd control munitions were used and several arrests were made…’
(Liberty Headlines) Several people were arrested after a demonstration turned violent in downtown Portland and resulted in damage to two government buildings, authorities said Friday.
Law enforcement in downtown Portland have been under attack for hours at the federal courthouse by antifa extremists. They hurl projectile weapons at police & when officers respond, go on social media tagging politicians & lawyers claiming police brutality pic.twitter.com/K6I3sxw7jS
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 3, 2020
Journalist Andy Ngo said the U.S. military protected one building that was under attack.
“They rushed out and made an arrest here,” he posted on Twitter. “Antifa have been trying to set the building on fire for hours.”
According to Fox News, Ngo said police were “under attack” for hours. When police officers attempt to respond, they “go on social media tagging politicians & lawyers claiming police brutality.”
Riots and protests have occurred regularly in the city since the May killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Police said in a statement that rioters broke into the Justice Center and broke glass doors to the federal courthouse nearby.
They threw cans of food, large rocks and commercial-grade fireworks at federal officers who responded to the scene.
Rioters also set a fire on the street.
Participants were warned twice that a riot would be declared, a sign that harsher tactics would be employed, if they did not leave the area.
“Because of the violent nature of the demonstrators while officers cleared the area, crowd control munitions were used and several arrests were made,” the police statement said.
Demonstrators also threw mortars, the statement said, without specifying what type they were.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
