Holly MatkinPortland, OR – A Portland rioter who helped set fire to the occupied Multnomah County Justice Center in September has been given a probation sentence.
Hannah Karin Lilly, 21, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree arson last week for her role in causing nearly $50,000 in damage to the downtown Portland law enforcement facility on Sept. 23, 2020, The Oregonian reported.
Lilly’s 21-year-old co-defendant, Cyan Bass, has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts local and federal counts in connection with the attack.
His trials are still pending.
According to court documents, Lilly and Bass were accused of trying to burn down the Multnomah County Justice Center and attacking police with explosives during the night of violence.
The charges originally filed against them were initially dropped or dismissed, but the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office later determined law enforcement had conducted enough “additional investigative follow up” for the cases to be presented to a grand jury, KOIN reported in December of 2020.
Lilly, a part-time nanny, was subsequently charged with riot, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of first-degree arson, and one count of first-degree attempted arson, KOIN reported.
Bass was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, attempted assault on a public safety officer, riot, unlawful possession of a destructive device, first-degree attempted assault, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of first-degree arson, and first-degree attempted arson.
Breaking: Hannah Lilly has been convicted for her role in an #antifa riot on 23 Sept 2020 in Portland. Antifa threw Molotov cocktails at police that night. She pleaded guilty to felony arson & felony criminal mischief. She's only sentenced to probation, community service & a fine pic.twitter.com/Rp2RnyaQdV
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) February 11, 2021
Prosecutors announced on Thursday that Lilly was ordered to serve 18 months of probation on the criminal mischief charge, The Oregonian reported.
She must also compete 120 hours of community service and pay $46,000 in restitution under the conditions of her probation sentence, and is restricted from attending protests, according to the Associated Press.
She has yet to be sentenced for the felony arson offense, The Oregonian reported.
“The resolution of this case takes into account Lilly’s culpability to the actual damage done to the Multnomah County Justice Center and Lilly’s lack of criminal history prior to this incident,” the district attorney’s office said in the press release.
A Molotov cocktail created a massive fireball as rioters attacked police in downtown Portland on Sept. 23, 2020.
Hundreds of rioters converged on the police department’s Central Precinct and the Multnomah County Justice Center and shattered windows with “softball sized rocks,” the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said in a press release at the time.
The mob used slingshots to launch objects through the broken-out windows, and tried to force their way into the precinct lobby, according to police.
The rioters ignored orders to disperse, and continued to return to the area to fire commercial-grade fireworks at officers.
REMEMBER – if you ever throw a molotov at police in #Portland, just tell them you threw it behind them intentionally and @DAMikeSchmidt will drop your attempted murder charges.
What a total joke of a systemhttps://t.co/qyJldMcf3chttps://t.co/rI5DnffzWH pic.twitter.com/thRpDFDKjI
— AntifaWatch (@AntifaWatch2) December 3, 2020
The group lit the north side of the Justice Center on fire at approximately 10:16 p.m., leading authorities to declare the gathering to be a riot.
Officers were attacked with green lasers, full soup cans, and other projectiles as they worked to disperse the mob.
Rioters threw Molotov cocktails at police on at least three occasions – including one that hit an officer in the foot.
“A Portland Fire Medic was nearby and able to extinguish the flames,” the PPB said. “Had this incendiary not been stopped immediately, it could have caused serious physical injury to the officer.”
Video footage from the attack showed a rioter hurling the flaming container towards the officers.
It exploded into a large fireball as it hit the pavement, scattering officers and rioters.
The crowd burst into cheers after the firebomb nearly burned the officers alive.
Police chased after the suspect, but it is unclear whether or not anyone was apprehended in connection with the attack.
According to investigators, Bass was responsible for setting the Multnomah County Justice Center on fire twice that night, KOIN reported.
Police said they also spotted Bass “holding a crowbar and using a slingshot or wrist-rocket to shoot projectiles through the windows of the PPB Central Precinct portion of the building,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, which filed federal charges against him after the state initially dismissed its case.
Bass has been further accused of throwing an explosive at a law enforcement officer, KOIN reported.
The device failed to explode upon impact.
Investigators said Bass was carrying a crowbar, two lighters, marbles, a slingshot, and a clear bottle containing an unknown liquid when he was originally arrested on the night of the riot.
Three officers were injured during the mayhem.
At least 13 people were arrested.
