5/3/2024
Portland, OR. – Official Release: Additional arrests have been made at PSU’s library after trespassers illegally entered the building again despite efforts to secure it. Preliminary count is 30 arrests over the course of the day. Officers will continue to monitor for criminal activity and will make arrests when lawful and appropriate.
Today’s effort got underway at approximately 6:00 a.m., when Portland Police Officers from all three precincts established a crime scene perimeter around the PSU library in a coordinated fashion. After numerous announcements encouraging people to leave the library, officers then entered the building, moved to the top floor, then began a deliberate, methodical, and safety- focused clearing of the building. While officers encountered no resistance while clearing the top floors of the PSU library, they did encounter barricades, acts of vandalism including damage to the fire alarm system, and items which appeared staged for potential assault on officers sent to reclaim the space.
Over the next two hours, officers worked their way slowly and carefully through the building. When they reached the first floor, they encountered a heavily barricaded door, the opening of which required the efforts of several officers. Once open, officers encountered floors coated with paint and soap, or some other slippery substance. Officers encountered limited resistance, but one suspect deployed a fire extinguisher at an officer. That suspect was arrested, along with two others inside the building.
The remaining occupiers, having received repeated warnings and notice that they were subject to arrest for trespass, fled. Many of them were carrying improvised shields. One suspect attempted to strike an officer with a shield and was arrested.
As officers moved the arrested suspects into a custody van, a hostile crowd surrounded the van. Officers requested additional help from the Oregon State Police Mobile Response Team to move the crowd to allow the transport to leave. That required some uses of force as well, and the crowd followed the van all the way to the I-405 freeway, and participants even went on the freeway. Additional arrests were made.
At 9:30a.m., officers reported that the library building was cleared. Officers secured that scene to allow for PSU contractors to secure the building. That process took several hours and a hostile crowd remained on scene.
While officers assigned to assist with the operation did deploy some pepper spray. Some officers carried 40mm less-lethal launchers with orange shoulder straps. These tools are standard and issued to patrol officers who have been trained and qualified in their use. Their use is regulated by PPB use of force policy, but again no munitions were deployed.
PSU secured the library with plywood and erected a fence, and as planned, Portland officers left the scene. A short time later, PPB was notified that trespassers had torn down the fence and broken back into the library. Officers returned and ordered them out of the library; 8 more were arrested, including 1 by PSU Campus Safety.
Officers moved trespassers out of the park, which was closed. Some groups then began splintering off into multiple marches in the streets. Officers monitored the marchers from a distance, but they wandered away.
The identities of those arrested will be released once a full list has been completed.
Seven officers suffered injuries, the most serious was a knee injury that required ambulance transport to the hospital. Other injuries are still being assessed or were minor.
Photos and videos of today’s operation have been posted here: https://twitter.com/PPBAlerts .
This investigation is still in early stages. It is important to remember that although arrests are not always made at the scene, when tensions are high, this does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later. Portland Police are continuing to investigate crimes committed in the library and will continue to make arrests when appropriate and forward cases to the Multnomah County District Attorney for prosecution.
Some wanted suspects are being sought. See related news release here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/news/read.cfm?id=533461
If anyone has information about crimes committed or the identity of those who committed them, or video, photos, or other evidence, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 24-105937.
photo description: Three arrested suspects in handcuffs seated inside the library being guarded by three police officers
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