Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler denounces 'all violence' after brutal attack on pickup driver
The victim was beaten unconscious in the attack
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Portland’s mayor said he denounces "all violence" in response to Sunday’s brutal beatdown of a man who crashed a pickup near Black Lives Matters protesters in an ugly scene caught on video.
Police responded to the scene after being told protesters chased a white Ford 4x4, which had crashed, and dragged the driver out of the vehicle. When they arrived they found the driver, an adult male, bloody and unconscious on the ground.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, who has faced criticism for his handling of the protests, denounced the attack in a statement Monday night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I denounce all violence, including the assaults that were filmed and posted to social media last night,” Wheeler said.
FILE - In this July 22, 2020, file photo, Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Ore. Protests in Portland have topped the headlines for days, but lost in the shouting are the voices of Black Portlanders themselves and their feelings about the unrest are nuanced and diverse. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
REPORTER WHO WITNESSED SUNDAY'S ASSAULT IN PORTLAND SAYS CITY IS LIKE A 'WAR ZONE'
“The work this community and others nationally are doing toward criminal justice reform and racial justice are in an effort to make our communities safer,” he added. “Assaults like these make our community less safe.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was recovering, police said.
Police said the victim may have been trying to help a transgender female who had some of her things stolen in the area where the assault took place.
“That person has not been contacted and their identity is unknown,” a police spokesman said. “Investigators would like to speak to this person.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PORTLAND PROTEST TURNS VIOLENT, BRUTAL ASSAULT CAUGHT ON VIDEO
Video shows the man being pummeled and then kicked in the side of a head by a man who ran up from behind.
The Oregonian reported that some in the crowd tried to hold the assailants back during the attack, while others began to rifle through the man’s truck.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jorge Ventura, a reporter covering the protests for the Daily Caller, told Fox & Friends Tuesday that the criticism of Wheeler was coming from all sides.
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"Portland locals want to see law and order established, yet Ted Wheeler isn't doing that,” Ventura said. “And when I speak to folks protesting they are mad at Wheeler because he hasn't defunded the police. So it seems both sides are angry at the mayor and want to see some type of leadership restored."