Officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service detained eight people following the 37th consecutive night of violence and civil unrest in Downtown Portland.
Those detained are pending prosecutorial decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. and face possible charges ranging from damage to government property and assault on a law enforcement officer to interfering with a law enforcement officer.
These charges can carry maximum fines of up to $5,000 and possible jail time of up to 20 years in prison depending on the severity of the crime.
Attacks on federal officers at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse involved the use of strobe lights, laser lights, commercial-grade fireworks, bricks, rocks, bottles, and paint-filled balloons. One suspect arrested was armed with machetes and was carrying a metal pipe with end caps and a fuse.
Officers from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and from the Department of Justice’s U.S. Marshals Service continue to defend federal property from criminal acts of violence and vandalism.