Trump offers to ‘stop the riots’ in Portland after protesters clash with ICE agents

Donald Trump once again has offered to send in the National Guard to Portland following another night of unrest that saw cops clash with protesters after riots erupted outside the city’s north precinct. 

The president on Saturday urged city and state officials to request federal assistance which he said would ‘immediately’ put an end to the turbulent demonstrations that have rocked the city for 86 consecutive nights. 

‘Another bad night of Rioting in Portland, Oregon. A small number of Federal troops there to protect courthouse and other Federal property only (great job!). Wanting to be asked by City & State to STOP THE RIOTS. Would bring in National Guard, end problem immediately. ASK!’ Trump tweeted.       

Tensions between cops and protesters reached a boiling point early Saturday, with police declaring a riot after crowds gathered outside the Portland Police Bureau’s north precinct and began throwing projectiles at officers.

Earlier in the evening, about 200 demonstrators had gathered at Irving Park before marching a mile down to the police station in protective gear including helmets, gas masks, body armor and homemade wooden shields. 

Protesters arrived at the facility around 10.15pm and were warned by cops not to enter the property or the closed area on Northeast Emerson Street, police said.  

Despite the warnings, officers were ‘almost immediately’ targeted by protesters throwing bottles and eggs, and pointing green lasers toward their eyes, the department said in a statement. 

The encounter resulted in a three-hour clash during which protesters allegedly pelted police vehicles with ‘softball-sized rocks’ golf balls, ball bearings, metal railroad spikes and plastic eggs filled with paint. 

Police said some members of the crowd had hurled balloons filled with feces at the cars and some used a torn up street sign to vandalize the vehicles.

Smoke later filled the air outside precinct as authorities worked to clear the crowd and physically forced protesters away, news outlets reported.

Windows were broken on patrol vehicles, police said, and items such as glass bottles were thrown and lasers were aimed at officers. 

Videos posted online showed several people being detained after the riot declaration, with a total of night arrests made, according to police. 

On Friday, protesters clashed with federal agents outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. 

People in a group of about 100 late Thursday and before dawn Friday sprayed the building with graffiti, hurled rocks and bottles at agents and shined laser lights at them, Portland police said.

The agents set off smoke or tear gas and used crowd control munitions to try to disperse the crowd. Three people were arrested.

One person was taken into custody earlier that morning after he was accused of brutally beating a bystander at a another demonstration. 

Marquise Love, 25,  handed himself into police on Friday morning following a city-wide manhunt that lasted four days.   

Online records show he has now been charged with felony assault, felony coercion and felony riot. Bail has been set at $260,000.  

Love is accused of punching and kicking Adam Haner in the head after he accidentally became caught up in a protest on Sunday evening.  

Haner crashed his pickup truck on a sidewalk near the demonstration, before he was pulled from the vehicle and beaten. 

Video footage showed a man – believed to be Love – kicking Haner unconscious. The victim also suffered two black eyes in the vicious beating. 

In a statement on Friday, Portland Police Chief confirmed the arrest, but did not say what provoked Love to hand himself in. 

Also on Friday, a number of federal buildings across the city were closed as the FBI investigated a car bomb threat.

Violent demonstrations have happened in Oregon’s largest city for more than two months following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.