Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler used pepper spray on a man who confronted him over mask-wearing as he left a restaurant, according to a police report.
Wheeler, who was with former Mayor Sam Adams, was confronted by an unidentified man as they finished their dinner at the McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House on Sunday night, according to the Oregonian.
The man who approached the two allegedly rebuked the mayors for dining without face masks, however, Wheeler told him that the tented area of the restaurant does not require mask-wearing. The man, who was recording the interaction, followed the mayor to the parking lot.
“He had no face mask on and got within a foot or two of my face while he was videoing me,” Wheeler said, according to the police report. “I became imminently concerned for my personal safety.”
“I clearly informed him that he needed to back off. He did not do so. I informed him that I was carrying pepper spray and that I would use it if he did not back off,” he added. “He remained at close distance. I pulled out my pepper spray, and I sprayed him in the eyes.”
Wheeler provided the man with water to rinse his face.
Tim Becker, a spokesman for Wheeler, said, “The mayor is cooperating with the police investigation and encourages others involved to do the same.”
Wheeler has been a target of similar incidents recently.
He was allegedly hit on Jan. 6 after being confronted while dining at another local restaurant. The mayor and his companion had been seated for only a few minutes before they began being heckled, according to the Oregonian.
Mayoral spokesman Jim Middaugh said in a statement that the individuals involved “pushed their way past restaurant employees.”
Portland has experienced numerous protests and riots since the May death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, knelt on his neck for several minutes. The clashes have continued into 2021, and the mayor, who was sympathetic with the protests in the beginning, has become a target of agitation from some members of the Left.
