Portland ushered in the New Year with a riot – when vandals wreaked havoc all over the city of Oregon, threw out Molotov cocktails and attacked law enforcement with stones and bricks, police said.
The crowd gathered around 7:45 PM near Chapman Square downtown, the heart of the 2020 protests raging in the city.
Portland police said at least two Molotov cocktails were thrown and commercial-grade fireworks were fired at the federal courthouse and justice center, where some rioters tried to break in.
The crowd also lit multiple fires, throwing rocks, bricks, and frozen water bottles at Federal Protective Services and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office agents. Some were hit by paint-filled balloons, which Portland police said may have been “ laced with a caustic substance because it caused skin burns. ”
A riot was called just before 11pm and police warned protesters that if they did not leave the area, they would be arrested “and / or use force, including but not limited to impact weapons and tear gas.”
The group also destroyed properties, including shattering a Starbucks window, KOIN reported.
The planned protest was announced as “in solidarity with BLM” with “no streamers, no megaphones, no masters”, according to online reports.
“New year, same goal,” the post said.
The raucous protest did not erupt until around 2 a.m. after police used inert smoke and some impact ammunition.
Police said arrests had been made, but that information was not immediately available.