An Indiana man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at Portland police cars in September 2020. Malik Muhammed pleaded guilty to 14 felony charges earlier this week.
“On September 5, 2020, Muhammed constructed multiple Molotov cocktails. He then brought those explosive devices, along with baseball bats, to a planned protest event that evening at the East Portland Police Precinct Building,” said Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt in a statement. “During the event, Muhammed handed out the bats and threw multiple explosive devices in the direction of police officers. One of those devices landed short and caused a fiery explosion which engulfed a fellow protester in flames, causing severe injuries to that person’s legs.”
Muhammed threw Molotov cocktails at Portland police on two additional occasions in September. On September 21, he threw a Molotov cocktail at the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, though it failed to explode. Just two days later, Muhammed went to another protest at the Multnomah County Justice Center, which houses court facilities, a local jail, a police precinct and a number of other justice system related offices. Muhammed threw another explosive at the courthouse, though the building was already on fire.
In a separate incident, Muhammed used a baton to smash several windows in downtown Portland. Locations vandalized by Muhammed included Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society. Police officers also observed him attempting to conceal a firearm.
Not long after his guilty plea, Muhammed was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Additionally, the Molotov-throwing Portland rioter will be required to pay $200,000 in restitution.
Muhammed’s charges include assault in the second degree, rioting, attempted murder 2, criminal mischief, unlawful possession of a destructive device, and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Fox News.