Man Suspected of Brutal Beating of Portland Driver Arrested
A man suspected of a brutal assault on a Portland, Oregon, driver turned himself in to detectives Friday morning.
Marquise Love had been identified by Portland Police Bureau Detectives and members of the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office for his involvement in the brutal beating of a man on Sunday.
“I am pleased the suspect in this case turned himself in and appreciate all of the efforts to facilitate this safe resolution,” Chief Chuck Lovell said in a news release from the Portland Police Bureau.
“Thank you to all of the members of the public who have provided information and tips to our investigators. Your assistance is very much appreciated.”
A series of social media videos show the man being beaten after a confrontation with demonstrators on Sunday in downtown Portland.
The start of the incident was lost in contradictory allegations, with some claiming the driver of a truck tried to assault protesters, who have laid claim to the city’s streets.
According to The Oregonian, Portland police had received reports that the mob had chased the driver of a truck, who then crashed into a light pole.
In the news release, police said they received a call from the intersection of Southwest Taylor Street and Broadway from a witness who said “protesters drug [the driver] out of car” and nine to 10 people were “beating the guy.”
The incident, which began at about 10:30 p.m., ended when an ambulance arrived to take the man, whose identity was not released by police, to a hospital.
The truck was later towed from the scene.
“Officers encounters a hostile crowd and a squad from the Rapid Response Team (RRT) responded to help secure the scene while the investigation was underway,” police said in another release.
“The driver was transported to the hospital by ambulance with serious injuries.”
WARNING: The following video contains graphic violence and language that some viewers will find offensive.
Police identified Marquise Love as the man beating the victim.
Love faces assault, coercion and riot charges, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
“The Portland Police Bureau is taking this assault and other incidents of violence extremely seriously,” Chief Lovell said.
“Our Detectives continue to investigate this assault as well as other acts of violence directed toward protestors, but we need more than just videos from social media. In order to hold individuals responsible for criminal acts, we need the public to provide information and refrain from tampering with evidence.”
It is not clear at this time if police are seeking any additional suspects in connection with the assault.
Earlier Sunday, in a release about the violence that took place in the city on Saturday night, Portland police highlighted the impact on the city of the concentrated police presence in downtown Portland.
“At the time of this release over 60 calls for police service were holding around the city. Some had been holding for the length of the events described here. Call types ranged from theft, vandalism, suspicious activity, hazards, hit and run, burglary, violation of restraining order, alarms, stolen cars, harassment and many others,” Portland police said.
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