September 15, 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that a grand jury indicted 36-year-old Bryan Kelley for allegedly shining a high-powered laser into the eye of a Portland Police Bureau sergeant during a protest and causing an injury.
Kelley is charged with one count of assault in the second degree, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of unlawful directing of light from a laser pointer.
The indictment accuses Kelley of using the laser pointer as a dangerous weapon to unlawfully and intentionally and knowingly causing physical injury to a person he knew to be a police officer.
This investigation started during a mass demonstration on August 25 that continued into the morning of August 26, 2020. The Portland Police Bureau’s Rapid Response Team responded to a demonstration that targeted Portland City Hall. Protestors broke into and started vandalizing the building.
While attempting to clear the streets and clear out city hall, police declared an unlawful assembly.
The victim, a PPB sergeant, saw Kelley on multiple occasions aiming a blue laser into the eyes of officers, according to court documents.
Furthermore, the victim reported that Kelley’s laser hit him in the eyes several times and that he had to look away due to the intensity of the laser, court documents state.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and Portland Police Bureau’s Detective Division worked jointly to determine the strength of the laser and the extent of the victim’s injury. Law enforcement found the laser was so powerful that it would burn through paper and cause dry material to catch fire, according to court documents.
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. Kelley 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