Indianapolis man sentenced to 10 years in prison for involvement in Portland riots
PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) — An Indiana man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “intentionally jeopardizing the lives of police officers, destroying public property, and encouraging others to commit violence,” during the 2020 Portland protests.
- Central figure in Indy’s 2020 riot gets 10 years in prison for violence in Oregon protests
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The U.S. District Attorney’s Office of Oregon said Malik Fard Muhammad, 25, traveled to Portland with his girlfriend from their home in Indianapolis in late summer 2020. During a riot Sept. 5 in east Portland, demonstrators threw objects at police including commercial-grade fireworks, Molotov cocktails and bottles. Muhammad would later plead guilty to causing serious burns to a demonstrator by throwing a Molotov cocktail.
Muhammed was additionally linked to throwing a Molotov cocktail at police Sept. 23, 2020, and breaking windows of several buildings during a demonstration Oct. 11. Police say Muhammed was arrested the same day after a short chase and found to be possessing a loaded handgun magazine. A loaded handgun matching the magazine was found discarded near the location of his arrest.
Following his arrest, Muhammad’s cell phone was seized as evidence. Police then found messages confirming he had supplied baseball bats to other rioters. The cell phone also included a supposed shopping list of supplies to make a Molotov cocktail, the D.A.’s Office said.
Police believe the trip to Portland was one of many, with Muhammad believed to have also traveled to Louisville, Kentucky in Aug. 2020.
On May 28, 2022, he pled guilty to two counts of possessing unregistered destructive devices.
Muhammad’s federal sentence will run concurrently with a 10-year sentence recently imposed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.