Police declare riot after truck drives through crowd, protesters break into union building

PORTLAND, Ore. — A driver of a pickup truck drove through a group of protesters in North Portland Tuesday night.

Police said the incident occurred at around 11:15 p.m. No one appeared to get injured but a motorcycle got caught underneath the front end of the truck.

A KATU News crew photographed the truck after it had stopped. Police said the driver spoke to officers and cooperated and was released without charges. The incident is under investigation.

Profanity Warning:

According to police, two protests occurred in Portland Tuesday night. The gathering downtown remained relatively peaceful, but the one in North Portland turned into a riot.

Police said a group of protesters gathered in Peninsula Park in North Portland at around 8 p.m. and marched toward the Portland Police Association office on North Lombard Street. The group blocked traffic in the street at North Campbell Avenue and some people lit a fire outside the police union building.

Officers said they saw people graffiti the building and try to pull the plywood off the doors and windows. At around 11:12 p.m., a couple people tried breaking in and police began making announcements for people to stop tampering with the Portland Police Association Office.

A couple minutes after this, the driver in the pickup truck drove through the crowd.

Police said people kept tampering with the police union building well after 11:30 p.m. and had set several fires in the streets. The gathering was declared an unlawful assembly at around midnight. Police asked protesters to leave the area, but several stayed. Police said some of these remaining people threw things like rocks and bricks at officers, striking several of them. One officer was also hit with an unknown alkaline substance, police said.

At around 12:15 a.m., police said someone fired shots in the area. Officers found a vehicle that had been struck by gunfire. About 15 minutes later, a fight broke out in the parking lot of a nearby convenient store and moments later, several more shots were fired. The group involved ran in different directions. When officers arrived at the scene, no one would speak to them about what happened.

Shortly after 1:15 a.m., some protesters broke through the Portland Police Association doors and entered the office. Police said the damaged the office and set a fire inside.

The incident was declared a riot at around 1:23 a.m. because of the serious criminal behavior.

By 3:30 a.m., most people had left the area.

Police said they made several arrests outside the Portland Police Association office.

The following people were arrested on the listed charges:

• 28-year-old Lisa Webb, Riot, Disorderly Conduct II, Interfering with a Police Officer
• 31-year-old Isaac Martin, Attempt Assault Public Safety Officer, Interfering with a Police Officer
• 47-year-old Carlton Smith, Interfering with a Police Officer

Protesters have gathered in Portland for about 70 straight nights in a row.