Portland rioters launched what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail at a federal courthouse early Tuesday morning during another tense standoff between protesters and federal law enforcement, police said.
The incendiary device exploded into a fireball in front of the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse just after midnight, with the blast felt more than a block away, Portland police said in a statement.
Video posted on Twitter shows the homemade bomb going off — and then the crowd cheering.
The courthouse has been at the center of the nightly protests in the city, sparked by the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25.
An explosion at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, during protests.TwitterMore than 100 federal agents were deployed to Portland last week in response to the violent protests and have used flash bangs, pepper bombs and tear gas to break up the wild crowds.
In response, protesters have shot fireworks and laser beams at them, while repeatedly targeting the federal courthouse.
Portland police said protesters were armed Monday night with “signs, hockey sticks, golf clubs, umbrellas, leaf blowers and fireworks” and chucked rocks, bottle and fireworks at the courthouse for nearly two hours.
