Portland police arrest 7 more on unrest-related charges, bringing total to 15

Portland rioters attack local ICE building

Seattle radio talk show host Jason Rantz discusses Inauguration Day riots in cities like Portland.

Portland police said Thursday they arrested seven more people during overnight protests and riots near the Democratic headquarters in the Oregon city, bringing the total number of people arrested to 15.

The newly announced arrested individuals range in age from 20 to 44 years old and face charges ranging from assaulting a public safety officer, carrying a concealed weapon and rioting, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said in a Thursday morning press release.

Roughly 150 to 200 protesters descended upon and damaged the headquarters for the Democratic Party of Oregon after 2:45 p.m., shortly after trying to steal an officer’s bicycle, the PPB said.

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Once they reached the Democratic headquarters, people “broke out windows” and vandalized the building with graffiti, police said.

“People moved dumpsters in the street and lit the contents of one on fire,” the police summary said.

Later in the night, shortly after 5:15 p.m., they blocked police from responding to an intersection where an occupied vehicle had rolled over and crashed, police said. They climbed on the vehicle and “appeared to begin trying to get people out of it.”

PORTLAND RIOTERS DAMAGE ICE BUILDING; POLICE DECLARE ‘UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY’

“[P]eople from the crowd shouted at them delaying their efforts to assist whomever was in the vehicle,” police said. “Responding officers had to call for assistance just to make the scene safe.”

Then, soon after 9 p.m., roughly 150 people made their way to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices with shields, batons and umbrellas, or wearing helmets or gas masks, police said. They allegedly tagged the building with graffiti.

Police announced late Wednesday the arrests of eight other people, who range in age from 18 to 38.

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A group of about 100 people also marched in Seattle on Wednesday, where police said windows were broken at a federal courthouse, and officers arrested three people, police and local affiliate Q13 Seattle reported. 

The crowd called for the abolition of ICE and several people set fire to an American flag outside the federal immigration court, The Seattle Times reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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