Eugene resident among 7 charged by feds after violence at courthouse in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. - A 24-year-old Eugene resident faces accusations of assaulting federal officers during protests at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, one of 7 people now facing federal charges related to violence at protests in Oregon's largest city.
Taimane Jame Teo of Eugene is accused along with Andrew Steven Faulkner, 24, of Beaverton; Christopher Fellini, 31, of Portland; and Cody Porter, 28, with "assaulting federal officers with high intensity lasers," the U.S. Attorney for Oregon said Tuesday. "At the time of his arrest, Faulkner also possessed a sheathed machete."
The incident is alleged to have happened July 5-6 in Portland.
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams also announced charges against:
- Rowan Olsen, 19, of Portland, charged with disorderly conduct, creating a hazard on federal property, and failing to obey a lawful order. "On July 2-3, 2020, Olsen is accused of using his body to push on and hold a glass door at the Hatfield Courthouse closed, preventing officers from exiting the building and causing the door to shatter. With the door broken, a mortar firework entered the courthouse, detonating near the officers. The officers used shields and their bodies to block the open doorway for approximately six hours until demonstrators dispersed," prosecutors said.
- Shant Singh Ahuja, 28, of Oceanside, California, charged with destruction of federal property. "On July 4, 2020, Ahuja is accused of willfully destroying a closed-circuit video camera mounted on the exterior of the Hatfield Courthouse," according to prosecutors.
- Gretchen Margaret Blank, 29, of Seattle, Washington, charged with assaulting federal officers. "On July 5, 2020, Blank is accused of assaulting a federal officer with a shield while the officer was attempting to arrest another protestor," prosecutors said.
According to the U.S. Attorney for Oregon:
The Hatfield Federal Courthouse has been a repeated target of vandalism, sustaining extensive damage. U.S. Marshals Service deputies and officers from the Federal Protective Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection working to protect the courthouse have been subjected to threats; aerial fireworks including mortars; high intensity lasers targeting officers’ eyes; thrown rocks, bottles, and balloons filled with paint from demonstrators while performing their duties.
The 7 defendants made their first appearances in federal court on Monday. They have been released pending trial.
