Police in Portland, Oregon, arrested three people early Thursday morning after receiving a report that some vandals were smashing windows and spray-painting buildings.
The Portland Police Bureau posted a press release on Thursday detailing the crime, writing that police responded to multiple calls around 1:22 a.m. reporting a group “breaking windows and spraying graffiti.” Callers reported that the people were dressed in black and moving west along Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard.
“Police arrived and found a group near Southeast 37th Avenue and Southeast Harrison Street matching the description and carrying evidence connecting them to the vandalism,” police reported. “Officers canvassed the neighborhood, spoke to witnesses, and found damage to at least ten businesses between Southeast 41st Avenue and Southeast 33rd Avenue along Southeast Hawthorne Street, in both the Sunnyside and Richmond neighborhoods. Some of the damage was sufficient to provide access to the interior of retail stores so officers contacted responsible parties and stood by while contractors or employees boarded up windows. Grocery stores, banks, an auto service center, a package distribution and mailing center, and local business storefronts were damaged.”
Police arrested 24-year-old Chester Hester, 38-year-old Nicole Noriega, and 23-year-old Bailey Willack. Each was charged with 10 counts of Criminal Mischief 1.
“Officers found one adult in possession of a semi-automatic pistol. That person was referred out of custody to the district attorney’s office for potential weapons charges. One juvenile was detained and referred to the court for crimes related to property damage,” police noted, without saying whether the person with a pistol was one of the three named suspects. “Based on witness statements, it is likely that more people were involved in these crimes and police will try to determine their identity through further investigation.”
Fox News reported that authorities “estimated the group caused ‘thousands’ of dollars in damage but didn’t provide a more specific cost.”
This is just the latest incident in a city marred by riots over the summer and years of Antifa violence. Just one day after the 2020 general election, and after months of allowing violent rioters to go unchecked, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) finally authorized the National Guard to help Portland, The Daily Wire reported. The Multnomah County Sheriff announced the plan on Twitter:
Unified Command on National Guard activation: Widespread violence is occurring in Downtown Portland. In the interest of public safety, Governor Kate Brown, under advice of the Unified Command, has activated the use of the Oregon National Guard to assist local law enforcement in responding to any acts of violence, and to maintain public order and ensure community safety. Guard members are trained in crowd control and will be riding with local response teams.
They are dressed in military style garb, which is their uniform. Oregon National Guard members are civilian community members helping to protect us. We don’t take this decision lightly. Under the Governor’s Order, we continue to work together and share our resources and information to address any public safety concerns. Our goal is to keep our community safe. We encourage demonstrators to gather peacefully.