Portland Cop Punched in the Face by Protester, Sent Crashing to the Ground in Viral Video
A Portland police officer crashed to the ground after being punched in the face by a protester in a viral video.
The clip begins with an officer and protester appearing to be in a heated discussion after the policeman walked up to a man wearing all-black.
As The Oregonian video continued, the protester told the officer, who was walking with a bicycle, not to touch him. The officer then continued to walk towards him, with the protester backing away.
The officer then moved away from the first protester and walked through a group of other people wearing black, with some filming the encounter.
A second officer then cycled behind several of the protesters, pushing some as the first police officer continued to walk through the crowd.
Moments later, a man who had his face covered and hood up punched the first officer, which sent him crashing to the ground.
It appeared the man who threw the punch was the same protester pushed by the second officer just moments before.
Seconds later, several other officers piled on the protester and attempted to pull him off the policeman, who could be seen lying on the sidewalk.
Other officers then pulled away from the pair and pushed protesters towards a wall and shouted: "Get back. Get back."
At least two protesters were filmed with their backs against the wall as police officers surrounded them. Meanwhile, at least two officers could be seen holding down the protester who threw the punch.
The minute-long clip, filmed by an Oregonian staff member, has since been widely shared across social media where it has been viewed more than 130,000 times.
According to the outlet, the altercation happened around 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday when a group, estimated to be around 60 people, marched near the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse and Multnomah County Justice Center.
It added about 25 stayed close to the courthouse and that some had spray-painted the building at around 9 p.m.
It comes as Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a state of emergency ahead of yesterday's Derek Chauvin verdict.
According to Q13Fox, Wheeler said the order would last for 24 hours and could be extended if deemed necessary.
He said: "This is obviously a high-intensity moment here, and in many other communities, where people are waiting with apprehension and rightfully so because there is so much at stake."
Wheeler added: "I understand the apprehension, the historical significance on this moment and people's concerns about justice and safety."
Portland has seen an increase in clashes between protesters and police after Duante Wright, 20, was shot in Minnesota on April 11.
Social media videos showed police clashing with protesters with one clip appearing to show an officer pushing a man and dragging him on the ground before kicking a smoke canister at him.
Newsweek has contacted the Portland Police Bureau for comment.
