(PORTLAND, Ore.) Hello Portlanders! It's Thursday, Jan. 19 - Here's your daily round up of all the news happening in the City of Roses.
1. Fight breaks out at Portland murder suspect's arraignment
Earlier this week, Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies broke up a courtroom fight between members of a homicide victim’s family and the family of the man charged with his killing. Two women began screaming at each other during the arraignment of Damariae R. Haqq. Haqq, 20, appeared at the arraignment by video from Inverness Jail. He’s accused of gunning down 18-year-old Parnell Badon Jr. in a hotel near the Portland International Airport on Nov. 17.
Audio from the arraignment captures an escalating series of taunts and shouts of a deputy attempting to break up the fight. Chris Liedle, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said medical workers evaluated two people for unspecified injuries following the incident.
“The disturbance did not impact court processes and arraignments continued when the situation was defused,” he said.
A report of the fight has been forwarded to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether charges should be filed.
2. Mother's Bistro and Bar targeted in check fraud scam
The owner of Mother’s Bistro and Bar was the target of check fraud several months ago and says she’s been in a battle with her bank ever since after they claimed they couldn’t do anything about it. Lisa Schroeder, who’s been running the restaurant for more than 20 years, lost more than $800. For nearly six months, she’s been dealing with check fraud, after someone cashed three different checks at local grocery stores last summer. They didn’t have her name on them, but they had her account number.
She wasn’t aware of the fraudulent checks until she received her bank statement weeks later, but by then it was too late. Schroeder said Chase Bank refused to refund her money because they were notified 30 days after the checks were written. After trying to get in touch with a representative, she received a letter saying the bank was denying her request.
Despite this, Schroeder says she’s not giving up on getting her money back.
3. City agrees to pay $75K lawsuit settlement with 2020 protester
The Portland City Council has agreed to pay Oregon resident Erik Hoofnagle $75,000 for the alleged financial, physical and emotional damages he suffered at the hands of Portland police and a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy during the racial justice protests on July 4, 2020.
According to the suit, which Hoofnagle filed on June 3, 2021, he was protesting police violence at the intersection of Southwest 4th and Washington streets when Portland Police Officer Brent Taylor shot him multiple times with FN 303 less-lethal projectiles. It also states that Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Smith shot Hoofnagle with a “more powerful” 40 mm projectile, causing a deep flesh wound on his thigh.
“Hoofnagle had 14 separate wounds caused by these two grenadiers, and perhaps others,” the suit says. “Taylor then demonstrably lied about the circumstances to cover up the lack of probable cause to batter, arrest, incarcerate and charge Hoofnagle with criminal activity.”
Portland’s Senior Deputy City Attorney Caroline Turco advised city commissioners to accept the settlement on Jan. 18. The city’s Risk Management department determined that the city could be found liable if the case went to trial.
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