3 accused of committing violence toward federal officers during anti-ICE protests in Portland appear in court

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three people appeared in a federal court in Portland on Thursday after being accused of assaulting federal officers and other crimes amid ongoing protests outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on South Macadam Avenue.

One of the defendants faces a felony attempted assault of a federal officer charge, while the other two face misdemeanor assault on a federal officer charges and other offenses.

The alleged incidents all happened on Tuesday night during a protest outside the ICE facility.

For the felony charge, a woman is accused of lighting an incendiary device next to the guard shack. The woman then allegedly waved around a large knife and threw it in the direction of a responding Federal Protective Service officer when they approached, though it missed. Officers later brought the woman down with a taser but she allegedly pulled out a second large knife before being disarmed and arrested.

That same night, another protester was accused of shining a laser pointer into the eye of a federal officer after facing other charges on previous nights of protest at the facility.

A third person allegedly threw a gas canister back in the direction of federal agents, striking an officer. The gas canister had been deployed by a federal officer to clear the driveway after two people were allegedly burning an American flag in front of the building, prosecutors said.

Following the three defendants appearing in a federal court, the woman who is facing the felony charge was detained pending future court proceedings. The other two were released on conditions pending future court proceedings, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.