Portland police spark outrage after 'wrongful' arrest of journalist Nick Sortor, allegedly victimized by Antifa; DOJ to investigate

X journalist Nick Sortor was on the ground in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday night, documenting Antifa harassing federal agents at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, when he was attacked by the far-left crowd and ended up getting arrested by Portland police officers.

During the night, Sortor took away a burning American flag and put out the flames, video showed. Once the flames were out, he carried the remnants of flag away from Antifa. This led to Sortor being targeted by the Antifa crowd.

Sortor recalled that he was getting video of federal agents macing protesters when he was surrounded by the crowd, who then pushed him down into a flower bed and one of them threw a punch, Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reported. Sortor said he swung back and missed, but then disengaged and walked over to a group of Portland officers.

It was at that point he was taken into custody by Portland police.

"He says he was then shocked to be arrested by them, and he sat in the back of a police cruiser while officers figured out what to charge him with. I asked him about the female protester who was also arrested with him. He said he talked to her in the jail and she didn’t seem like she was the one who assaulted him," Melugin reported.

Sortor was charged with disorderly conduct and spent the night in jail. He was released from custody early Friday morning.

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Portland Antifa in 2021Photo by MATHIEU LEWIS-ROLLAND/AFP via Getty Images

For his part, Sortor is gearing up for a legal fight.

Portland police "is going to absolutely HATE what’s coming. Lawyer up, folks!" he posted on X.

Sortor further claimed that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has promised to investigate his arrest. "Attorney General Pam Bondi has ORDERED a full investigation, led by Asst. AG Harmeet Dhillon, of the Portland Police Bureau, following my wrongful arrest last night, Bondi confirmed to me," Sortor posted to X Friday, noting that Bondi had contacted him "personally" to let him know.

"FAFO, @PortlandPolice," he added.

A spokesperson confirmed to Blaze News that the DOJ will investigate Sortor's arrest.

Sortor's arrest by Portland police set off a firestorm among conservatives and the Trump administration. Earlier this week, Post Millennial reporter Katie Daviscourt was allegedly attacked by Antifa. She was hit in the face with a flagpole that caused a black eye and a concussion. Daviscourt attempted to get Portland officers on the scene to arrest her suspected attacker, but an officer standing nearby seemingly let the suspect go, according to video.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia Mclaughlin said there is going to be a surge of federal personnel in response to Sortor being attacked and arrested.

"This violence will end under [President] Trump," she added.

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