PORTLAND, OR—On August 16, rioters in Portland dragged Adam Haner out of his car and beat him until he was unconscious after Haner reportedly defended a transgender female who had her possessions stolen in the area.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Southwest Taylor Street and Broadway and was reported to the Portland Police at 10:27 p.m. Calls said that “protestors chased a white Ford 4×4, which has crashed,” “protestors drug him out of car,” and 9-10 people were “beating the guy.”
Independent journalists identified the rioters who beat Haner as Antifa and Black Lives Matter activists.
The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Journalist Drew Hernandez captured video footage of moments before during, and after the victim was beat, which can be viewed respectively at https://twitter.com/livesmattershow/status/1295253759291879424, https://twitter.com/livesmattershow/status/1295283582747865089, and https://twitter.com/livesmattershow/status/1295233180899790850.
The attackers can be seen beating Haner until he fell to the floor with his head bleeding.
“I denounce all violence, including the assaults that were filmed and posted to social media last night. The work this community and others nationally are doing towards criminal justice reform and racial justice are in an effort to make our communities safer. Assaults like these make our community less safe,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler in a statement.
Investigators have identified 25 year-old Marquise Love as a suspect in the assault. They left messages for Love to turn himself in, and continue to search for him. Haner has been released from the hospital and is recovering.
Haner’s brother, Brian Haner, created a GoFundMe page in which he wrote:
“Hoping this money will help Adam get things together for his life after the attack he suffered. I know he will need repairs, or to replace the truck that was wrecked. He is going to need time to recover from his injuries as well. Plus replace things that where stolen from his pick-up that night.”
He also provided an update on his brother’s condition, writing “Adam is still feeling very ill. He is still very dazed. He doesn’t remember everything that has happened. He thought his truck only had a dent in it.”
“The Portland Police Bureau is taking this assault and other incidents of violence extremely seriously,” said Chief Lovell. “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.”
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham called for the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute the group of people who beat Haner on August 16.
“This shocking attack by a mob against a young man in the streets of Portland is beyond the pale,” Graham said in a statement.
The identity of the transgender female is still unknown, but the police want this person’s contact information. Anyone with information about this incident should call Detective Brent Christensen at 503-823-2087 or email Brent.Christensen@portlandoregon.gov.
