Portland Police were attacked during a demonstration Friday night in East Portland.
Here are the details from Portland Police:
Around 9:45 p.m., a large group demonstrated at the Penumbra Kelly Building located at 47th and East Burnside. As the group approached the Kelly Building, Portland Police began making public address announcements informing the crowd they were to remain off the Kelly Building property or they would be subject to arrest for trespassing. People who remained standing on the property after multiple public address announcements were arrested. As arrests were made, certain crowd members began throwing rocks towards officers. As this criminal activity occurred, the crowd also blocked all lanes of traffic on East Burnside Street, not allowing vehicles to pass by. Several people in this group wore helmets and gas masks as well as carried shields.
Because of the criminal behavior occurring in the group, public address announcements were made declaring the event an unlawful assembly. The crowd was told to disperse to the east immediately. Despite the public address announcements, the crowd continued to block traffic on East Burnside Street and several continued to trespass on the Kelly Building property. At 10:05 p.m., certain members of the group began taking concrete pieces off of a retaining wall nearby the Kelly Building. These people then smashed the concrete on the ground into smaller pieces which were thrown at officers. Certain people in the crowd shined lasers at officers, which can cause permanent eye damage. Several public address announcements were made regarding this criminal behavior, however it continued for a couple more hours.
As the crowd continued to refuse to disperse from the area of the Kelly Building, targeted arrests were made. A person who was taken into custody was arrested wearing ballistic body armor (photo). Around 12 a.m., a vehicle was stopped and an occupant was arrested for shining a laser at the PPB's air unit. At 12:10 a.m., individuals in the crowd gathered outside of the Kelly Building began throwing or launching frozen or hardboiled eggs, rocks, and commercial grade fireworks at officers positioned in the parking lot. This ongoing criminal activity created an extremely dangerous situation. Public address announcements were continually made directing the group to disperse to the east. At 1 a.m., both Oregon State Police and PPB officers began dispersing the crowd to the east.
As the officers dispersed the crowd, rocks, bottles, and explosives were continually launched at officers. Because of the danger posed by these projectiles, officers used crowd control munitions as they moved the group. Pool noodles (photo) were filled with nails by members of the group and placed on the roadway in an effort to damage police vehicle tires. One police vehicle suffered extensive tire damage.
At 1:45 a.m., approximately 40 members of the group returned to the area of the Kelly Building. The group was given public address announcements and officers dispersed the group to the west.
By 2:30 a.m. a majority of the crowd had left the area.
No CS gas was used by Portland Police.
24 people were arrested.