Portland Rioters Set Fire to Courthouse with Federal Agents in it

Portland rioters barricaded federal law enforcement agents inside a federal courthouse as they tried to set the building ablaze amid ongoing violent protests in the Democrat-controlled city, according to a report.

As hundreds chanted “Black lives matter” and “Feds go home,” a team of protesters propped several wooden beams and sandbags against a door to the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, according to tweets from Clypian, an online news outlet run by South Salem High School students.

Videos posted by Clypian throughout the night show protesters yanking off plywood covering another entrance and the feds launching tear gas and pepper bombs at the crowds. At one point, someone tosses a firework at the officers, which explodes at their feet.

A federal official wrote in an email obtained by Examiner reporter Anna Giaritelli:

Around midnight rioters attempted to set the courthouse on fire, as they have done numerous times before. They also threw smoke bombs into the flames causing the interior of the courthouse to fill with smoke. In response, a team of federal officers was forced to leave the building, taking one individual into custody. When they did, a rioter threw a bag filled with hard objects at officers.

Covert Image: Nathan Howard/Getty Images