Portland rioter who shined high intensity laser into police officer's eyes charged on multiple felony counts

A grand jury has indicted a rioter in Portland, Oregon, for allegedly shining a high intensity laser into a law enforcement officer's eyes late last month.

What are the details?

Bryan Kelley, 36, was charged with second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of unlawful directing of light from a laser pointer," according to a news release from the Multnomah County District Attorney's office on Tuesday. The former two charges are felonies.

In the release, District Attorney Mike Schmidt alleged that Kelley used "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."

Kelley reportedly committed the crimes during an Aug. 25 demonstration in which protesters breached Portland City Hall and vandalized the property. At the time, police declared the demonstration to be an "unlawful assembly," or riot.

An arrest report indicates that Kelley was seen by at least one officer directing the laser into a Portland police sergeant's eyes, "causing injury." He was subsequently detained by police and his laser was confiscated.

Detectives then reportedly tested the laser by pointing it at a piece of cardboard. A video of the test where the laser appears to burn through the material and set it on fire was uploaded to YouTube by Portland police.

Laser Videoyoutu.be

At the time of the arrest, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said: "An assault on the police is an assault on the community we are sworn to protect. I commend the officers out there every day and night, and detectives whose follow up makes arrests like this possible. Anyone hiding behind legitimate protests to commit acts of violence should know the investigations keep going even if you get released after your initial arrest."

What else?

The use of high intensity lasers among other dangerous weapons such as mortars, machetes, and even components for a pipe bomb, has been widely reported since the start of the nightly riots in Portland several months ago.

In July, when the Trump administration dispatched federal agents to the city to help quell the riots, it was reported that at least three agents had suffered from laser attacks that could potentially leave them permanently blind or with lasting eye damage.

Sadly, this type of assault on police officers has not been limited to Portland. In a news release last Friday, the Justice Department announced charges against a rioter in Rochester, New York, who similarly attacked officers with a high-powered laser.

(H/T: Fox News)