Texas Man Charged With Assaulting Deputy U.S. Marshal With Hammer During Weekend Protests in Portland (Photo)

justice.gov ^ | July 13, 2020 | U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Oregon

[ransomnote]

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Texas man has been charged with assaulting a U.S. Marshals Service deputy with a construction hammer during weekend protests at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland.

Jacob Michael Gaines, 23, a Texas man currently residing in a recreational vehicle in Portland, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of assaulting a federal officer.

According to court documents, at approximately 1:00am on July 11, 2020, Gaines was observed using a hammer to damage a barricaded entrance at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse. At the time, federal law enforcement personnel were staged inside the courthouse to protect the facility and respond to incidents. Law enforcement attempted to exit the courthouse to prevent Gaines from breaching the barricaded entrance.

While attempting to detain him, Gaines struck a U.S. Marshals Service deputy three times with the hammer. The deputy deflected the blows to prevent serious injury, but in process was struck in the left shoulder, lower neck, and upper back. While being struck, the deputy managed to hold onto Gaines while other officers handcuffed him and placed him under arrest.

Gaines made his initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was released pending further proceedings.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For several weeks, the Hatfield Federal Courthouse has been a repeated target of vandalism during evening protests and riots, sustaining extensive damage. U.S. Marshals Service deputies and officers from the Federal Protective Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection working to protect the courthouse have been subjected to nightly threats and assaults from demonstrators while performing their duties.

Deputy U.S. Marshal approaching Gaines

Gaines outside courthouse barricade with hammer in right hand

Courthouse barricade with hole from Gaines' hammer strikes

4 lb DeWalt construction hammer seized from Gaines

 

Topic(s): 

Violent Crime

Component(s): 

USAO - Oregon

 

[ransomnote]

Peaceful protesters.

[Midwesterner53]

Assault with a deadly weapon. I will be a few years before he sees Texas again.

[Da Coyote]

Texas man in Portland, eh?
Hmmmmmmmmm.
Wonder who paid him to get there?

[taxcontrol]

Attacking someone with a hammer is assault with a lethal weapon at a minium or attempted murder.

[nwrep]

[Seruzawa]

Yep. There is nothing spontaneous about this. If the FBI was competent they’d have the ringleaders and moneymen in custody right now.

[Howie66]

Hang the sonovabitch.

[YouGoTexasGirl]

God blessed Texas on this one!!!!

[cweese]

I’d be willing to bet that he has an ‘uncle dad’ in his genealogical mix.

[familyop]

The whole purpose of the protests/riots is to hamper police efforts to make drug busts and arrest drug addicts for other drug related crimes like thefts, robberies, human trafficking, assaults on the elderly, etc.

[rigelkentaurus]

And the judge RELEASED this scum pending further proceedings?

[Notthereyet]

“Texas man in Portland, eh?”
____________________________

Mmm. Shouldn’t they be able to charge him with crossing state lines in the commission of a crime? Seems like he went from Texas to that location for that particular riot.

[coaster123]

Degenerate scum was never going to contribute. A real loser.

[chuckee]

19 years old? Who raised this jerk? I bet he has been trouble with the law all his life and this 19 year old is who the media would suggest is a conscientious protester in the streets. No, he’s not. He’s a moron with no direction in life.

[21twelve]

Probably talked about his travels ahead of time too. I would had Conspiracy charges.

[HombreSecreto]

He saw “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” but didn’t have the $$$ for a chainsaw, well, because, look at him.

[Notthereyet]

“I would had Conspiracy charges.”
__________________________

That would be a nice additional charge!

[Leaning Right]

> Gaines made his initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was released pending further proceedings. <

Wait. What? He was released???

[funfan]

Good maybe he will covid in prison and never come back. So sick of these people.

[Colt1851Navy]

In Alabama he would have gotten shot several times.