Advertisement

Molotov Cocktail Thrown Toward Police During Protest in Portland

At least two Molotov cocktails were thrown at police during a protest in Portland, Oregon, on September 23, following the grand jury decision on prosecutions in the police shooting of Louisville woman Breonna Taylor, police said.

The Portland Police declared the protest a riot, citing broken windows, vandalism, and the Molotov cocktails. Thirteen people were arrested at the protest, officials said.

Journalist Kerry Harwin recorded this footage and originally posted it to Twitter. He told Storyful as black organizers were leading a peaceful protest at the front of the Portland Justice Center, individuals began “engaging in vandalism at the rear of the building.”

Harwin said, “In response, Portland Police charged the crowd beginning to assemble behind the building.”

The video shows a person throwing a Molotov cocktail toward police officers as the crowd screams and runs away from the fire.

“The police proceeded to declare the entire Portland downtown area closed and were reinforced by a number of federal agencies as they cleared downtown using tear gas, pepper spray, impact munitions, and pepper balls,” Harwin said.

Protests flared across the country after it was announced that former Louisville officer Brett Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment. Two other officers who discharged their weapons during the botched raid on Taylor’s apartment in March were not charged.

The Portland Police Bureau released a statement reporting one officer was struck in the foot by a Molotov cocktail, but no serious injuries were reported. Credit: Kerry Harwin via Storyful