Following the initial tweet, local police then declared the gathering to be riotous in nature and ordered the dispersal of any persons in the area. Those who refused to evacuate the area were threatened with “arrest, citation and/or the use of force”, including tear gas.
The Portland Police Bureau issued a statement on the riots that further corroborates the footage taken by Ngo.
“Officers were attacked with large rocks, full-size bricks, and frozen water bottles,” PBB reported. “Some officers were targeted by paint balloons that may have been laced with a caustic substance as it caused burning to the skin. Some law enforcement officers suffered injuries, although no Portland Police officers were hurt.”
The damage went beyond the Federal Courthouse and Justice Center, however. Andy Ngo took additional footage of smashed windows at Chase Bank in Downtown Portland along with other small businesses.
Antifa smashed up a Chase bank and numerous other businesses in downtown Portland after starting fires outside the Justice Center. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/5hKptLjcol
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 1, 2021
Rioters eventually left the scene at 2 a.m. after Portland Police utilized smoke canisters and rubber bullets to disperse protestors. According to PBB, no officer from the Portland Police department was injured during the riots.
