PORTLAND BEAT BUST
By LIA EUSTACHEWICH and NATALIE O’NEILL Held in mob violence amid bomb threats
The suspect accused of knocking a Portland motorist unconscious near a Black Lives Matter protest was arrested Friday — as two federal courthouses in the city were closed due to a car-bomb threat.
Marquis Love, 25, turned himself in at around 8:30 a.m. and was booked into Oregon’s Multnomah County jail, records show. The ex-security guard — who was allegedly caught in a viral video kicking driver Adam Haner in the head during a mob attack Sunday night — was charged with felony counts of assault, coercion and riots. His bail was set at $250,000 for the assault charges.
“I am pleased the suspect in this case turned himself in and appreciate all of the efforts to facilitate this safe resolution,” Portland Police Bureau Chief Chuck Lovell said in a press release. “Thank you to all of the members of the public who have provided information and tips.”
Haner, 40, said he was beaten for helping a transgender woman who was being mugged after he stopped at a 7-Eleven two blocks from a Black Lives Matter protest.
He suffered head wounds, three broken ribs and two black eyes, and believes he was attacked simply for being white.
His girlfriend, Tammie Martin, who was with him at the time, said the mob Love was spotted with “was not a protesting group” and was “just looking for a fight” on the outskirts of the demonstration.
Meanwhile, two federal courthouses were closed in the city on Friday after authorities said they received a threat that a vehicle filled with explosives would hit a federal building — sparking an FBI investigation, according to The Oregonian.
The Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse — which became a national focal point after President Trump sent Department of Homeland Security agents to guard it as protests raged last month — was shuttered after federal officials received the threat Thursday night.
A nearby federal bankruptcy court was also closed, citing a “threat of violence in the area,” the paper reported.
A source familiar with the incident told the paper it wasn’t clear which federal building was the target of the would-be bombing.
But the FBI on Friday said it was probing the credibility of the threat, and called for information from the public.
The investigation came a day after officials appeared to use tear gas on Portland protesters — some of whom allegedly threw rocks and glass bottles at officers — as they marched on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building for the second night in a row.
Portland police said officers declared the protest an unlawful assembly at around 12:20 a.m. because “the crowd blocked traffic, vandalized the ICE building, set fires to dumpsters, and threw projectiles at [Federal Protective Service] officers.”
Demonstrators in the city have been protesting police brutality and the killing of George Floyd for 85 consecutive days.