A protester who pleaded guilty to arson and throwing a Molotov cocktail at police during a Sept. 23, 2020, demonstration in downtown Portland was sentenced Monday to 48 months in prison.
Cyan Bass set fire to the Multnomah County Justice Center and used a slingshot to damage some of the building’s windows, according to court documents.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives say they saw Bass squirt an accelerant on the main entrance of the Portland Police Bureau’s Central Precinct, which is part of the Justice Center, setting fire to the doors and an awning, court documents state.
Protestors started another fire pic.twitter.com/rSMCWDeSq0
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) September 24, 2020
Agents say they also saw Bass use an accelerant to light part of a boarded-up section of the building’s north façade. Later, two ATF agents say they saw Bass light an object on fire and then throw it at a line of uniformed police officers. The flaming object did not explode, court documents state.
Last month, Bass pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree arson as well as criminal mischief in the first degree, attempted assault in the first degree, unlawful possession of an explosive device and one count of rioting.
During that same Sept. 23 protest, another Molotov cocktail thrown at police exploded. The Multnomah County Distinct Attorneys Office and the U.S. Department of Justice have filed charged against another protester they say is responsible for throwing those devices.
