Holly MatkinPortland, OR – Police were able to stop an antifa mob from burning down an occupied, 300-unit apartment building on Monday night.
The mayhem kicked off at approximately 8:45 p.m., when a group of approximately 100 rioters started marching from Director Park on Park Avenue to Portland State University (PSU), the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a press release.
The mob descended on the PSU Public Safety Office and immediately busted out the windows before making their way inside.
Other members of the group shattered the windows of the university’s student union building and Cramer Hall, according to the MCSO.
The mob then honed in on a Starbucks shop located on the ground floor of an apartment building on Montgomery Street.
Portland protest night before election pic.twitter.com/JnKg0HE7Pj
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) November 3, 2020
They smashed out the windows and headed inside, where they proceeded to dump “flammable liquid…throughout the inside of the business,” according to the MCSO.
On the eve of Election Day, around 100 antifa gathered in downtown Portland. They marched to Portland State where they smashed buildings & broke inside a Starbucks. They dumped flammable liquid inside but were dispersed by officers before starting a fire. https://t.co/PFxJjqEx49 pic.twitter.com/TRcGBuBvhQ
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) November 3, 2020
The MCSO, Oregon State Police and Portland Police Bureau declared the gathering an unlawful assembly at approximately 9:15 p.m. and ordered the group to disperse.
As they were breaking up the mob, they “interrupted” the suspected arson attempt being staged on the ground floor of the apartment building, according to the MCSO.
Responding officers to the Starbucks antifa smashed up at @Portland_State tonight found an accelerant had been dumped all inside it. The cafe is part of a building that houses students. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/3ecBiblCno
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) November 3, 2020
Police ran the rioters out of the Starbucks and “performed high visibility patrols” until the group eventually left the area, according to the press release.
Two suspects were arrested during the chaos.
Protesters outside Portland State University, police are blockading surrounding roads #portland #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/MtsheLInHF
— Lucy Sherriff (@sherrifflucy) November 3, 2020
Kaiave James Douvia, 22, was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree burglary, and disorderly conduct.
Connor Austin, 25, was charged with interfering with a peace officer.
The MCSO said they found a dumbbell, a tire iron, gas masks, body armor, and an umbrella among the items the suspects were carrying at the time of their arrests.
Both suspects were promptly released without bail, according to The Post Millennial.
Arrested at the violent #antifa Portland protest & found w/riot weapons
Kaiave James Douvia, 22, arrested again; charged w/felony criminal mischief, felony burglary & more. https://t.co/1PvIEuTCDM
Connor Austin, 25 https://t.co/oqQvlbs5Jb
Both quickly released without bail. pic.twitter.com/BSSRGWenCq
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) November 3, 2020
PSU President Stephen Percy said in a statement on Tuesday that the rioters damaged five campus buildings in just 20 minutes during the violent uprising, KGW reported.
Portland protesters tonight meet at Directors park and marched without a permit through downtown park blocks before arriving at Portland State University public safety building and damaging school buildings. Unlawful assembly has been declared. #Portland #portlandprotest pic.twitter.com/UIfv5CiwfQ
— Independent Media PDX (@NDpendentPDX) November 3, 2020
“We will clean up from last night’s incident and move forward,” Percy said. “While damage to property can be repaired, my larger concern is the damage done to our community.”
“This kind of vandalism impedes our important work in educating students, conducting research and supporting student life,” he continued. “We deplore the impact of these actions on our community.”
