September 8, 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that 31-year-old Randal Marcus McCorkle is being charged with felony riot, among other charges, after allegedly launching a firework mortar toward police during an unlawful demonstration earlier this summer.
McCorkle is charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of riot and one count of recklessly endangering another person.
This investigation started on July 4, 2020 when law enforcement declared a riot during a mass demonstration. The Portland Police Bureau’s sound trucks made multiple announcements ordering the crowd to disperse.
According to court documents, police reported people in the crowd threw firework mortars at them as officers enforced the dispersal orders. The mortars would land near officers and detonate with a shower of sparks that had the potential to cause injury.
An officer reported seeing an individual, later identified as McCorkle holding a tube at a 45 degree angle and pointing it toward officers, according to court documents. The officer saw sparks coming from the tube and saw a firework mortar launch from the tube and fly in the direction of approaching officers.
When police contacted McCorkle they located fireworks in McCorkle’s backpack. Police arrested McCorkle without further incident.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office will presumptively decline to prosecute cases where the most serious offenses are city ordinance violations and crimes that do not involve property damage, theft, or the use or threat of force against another person. When an individual case presents unusual, aggravating circumstances, however, our office may prosecute the case. All other offenses, including those that allege acts of physical violence will be handled according to general office policies.
No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at this time.
A charging document is only an accusation of a crime. McCorkle is innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Media Contact:
Brent Weisberg, Communications Director
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us