A police sergeant in Portland, Oregon, was assaulted overnight Monday after a crowd gathered outside the police union building, with the chaos resulting in 24 arrests.
“This time, five police officers were also sprayed with chemical irritants by demonstrators who first engaged in an unlawful assembly late Monday in the Kenton Neighborhood before marching toward the Portland Police Association headquarters,” according to Fox News.
The sergeant went to the hospital after being punched in the face, the outlet said.
Authorities learned of the unpermitted march on Monday, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said in a press release.
“At about 8:45 p.m., officers observed participants carrying shields, wearing body armor and helmets. The posture of the gathering suggested that it would become violent, as many such gatherings have been over the past 120-plus days,” the release said.
When officers moved into the park and seized several of the shields, some in the crowd interfered and were taken into custody.
Journalist Andy Ngô shared video footage Tuesday morning of what appeared to be the moments after the shields were confiscated:
Ngô later shared photos of weapons and equipment some of those arrested had with them:
“Officers disengaged from the park, but as they walked away, individuals in the group began throwing water bottles at them. The officers did not take action at that time and continued to disengage,” the release continued. The crowd eventually walked to the Portland Police Association (PPA) building that has been the target of numerous violent protests in recent months.
“Despite the warnings, several people moved into the street and attempted to block traffic,” the release said, adding that police eventually moved in and conducted more arrests:
The officers encountered violent resistance. People threw rocks and other hard objects at them. A sergeant was punched in the face and was transported to the hospital for treatment. Five other officers were sprayed with some kind of chemical. Due to the persistent violence from individuals within the crowd, officers advised that it was an unlawful assembly via loudspeaker and Twitter. The assembly was ordered to disperse by traveling to the north on sidewalks.
The crowd finally dispersed around 1:30 a.m. once officers made more arrests, the release concluded.
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