Holly MatkinPortland, OR – The 120-year-old Thompson Elk Fountain sculpture was set ablaze by a mob of rioters on Wednesday night.
The majestic bull elk bronze, created by Sculptor Roland Hinton Perry, has stood in the middle of Southwest Main Street near the federal courthouse since 1900, The Oregonian reported.
On Wednesday night, rioters spray-painted the federal building and ripped off the protective wood boards from the courthouse windows, FOX News reported.
They used some of the wood to set up barricades, then used the rest to ignite an inferno under the 120-year-old elk statue.
Cell phone footage showed the graffiti-covered fountain as it became engulfed by the flames.
It is unclear whether or not the historic statue can be repaired.
The elk statue in downtown Portland is now fully engulfed in flames. #antifa pic.twitter.com/EdqOnJCdSP
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 2, 2020
Rioters attacked police with water bottles and other projectiles outside the federal courthouse, at which point police deployed at least one flash-bang and multiple pepper balls in an effort to disperse them, FOX News reported.
The crowd also launched fireworks at the Multnomah County Justice Center building, according to the news outlet.
Police inside the federal courthouse fire pepper balls at protestors who get close to the doors pic.twitter.com/xq61cV4XyF
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) July 2, 2020
Some of the boards covering the windows of the federal courthouse have been pulled down. #sacredfence #justicecenter #Portlandprotest #portland #blacklivesmatter #PDXprotests #pdx #oregon #blm #acab pic.twitter.com/3pQwDjQb3E
— Garrison Davis (Teargas Proof) (@hungrybowtie) July 2, 2020
Rioters looted and torched North Portland businesses and tried to burn down an occupied police precinct while unsuccessfully attempting to establish an “autonomous zone” in the early morning hours of June 26, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).
The mass destruction occurred after a group of anti-police protesters marched from Fernhill Park to the PPB’s North Precinct at the intersection of Northeast Emerson Street and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard the evening before, KVAL reported.
By about 10 p.m., hundreds of people had gathered outside the police station and began blocking traffic while they constructed a fence to set up their own “autonomous zone,” according to KOIN.
Rioters hurled glass bottles and other projectiles at officers before ramming two dumpsters into the garage doors in an attempt to force entry into the west side of the precinct, the PPB told KVAL.
When their efforts to bust in failed, the rioters opted to barricade the doors of the precinct so officers and inmates would be unable to escape, according to police.
“Burn the building down!” a rioter with a bullhorn yelled at approximately 12 a.m., according to KVAL.
Rioters also lit large fires in the middle of the street, KVAL reported.
The crowd launched fireworks at police who had positioned themselves behind a barricade on Northeast Emerson Street.
Police declared the gathering to be an unlawful assembly at approximately 1 a.m., and ordered the mob to either disperse or be arrested, KVAL reported.
They waited for 20 minutes before they began breaking up the gathering.
Rioters responded by firing paintball rounds at officers’ face shields, blocking their ability to see, KVAL reported.
One rioter launched a mortar onto the roof of the precinct, at which point police began deploying crowd control munitions.
The mob managed to set the north side of the station on fire at approximately 2:15 a.m., threatening the lives of the inmates and police employees inside the building, according to the PPB.
Officers launched CS gas at the crowd in order to save the people inside the precinct, the department said.
Some of the rioters managed to toss the canisters back at police, KVAL reported.
By approximately 3 a.m., most of the violent mob had turned its attention to looting, vandalizing and torching nearby businesses.
Police arrested a total of four suspects during the mayhem.
All of them have been charged for assaulting or attempting to assault police officers, KVAL reported.
Police said that several officers were injured during the overnight attacks.
One officer was transported to the hospital, but all of the injured officers are expected to recover, KVAL reported.
Police also arrested dozens of rioters outside the Multnomah County Justice Center on Wednesday, FOX News reported.
