Portland rioter who threw Molotov cocktails at police sentenced to 10 years in prison

An Indiana man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for participating in a riot in Portland, Oregon in 2020 during which he threw Molotov cocktails at police officers.

Malik Muhammed pleaded guilty this week to 14 felony charges related to the Portland rioting and will have to pay $200,000 in restitution along with serving 10 years in prison, according to a statement from Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.

“On September 5, 2020, Muhammed constructed multiple Molotov cocktails. He then brought those explosive devices, along with baseball bats, to a planned protest event that evening at the East Portland Police Precinct Building,” Schmidt’s statement said. “During the event, Muhammed handed out the bats and threw multiple explosive devices in the direction of police officers. One of those devices landed short and caused a fiery explosion which engulfed a fellow protester in flames, causing severe injuries to that person’s legs.”

Muhammed took part in three more violent protests and threw a lit Molotov cocktail at Portland police officers on two of the occasions including one incident where the “explosive device caused a fiery explosion which narrowly missed multiple officers and caught the clothing of one of the officers on fire.”

In another one of the incidents, Muhammed used a baton to smash windows at several different locations in downtown Portland and was observed by police officers attempting to hide a loaded firearm.

Muhammed’s charges include assault in the second degree, rioting, attempted murder 2, criminal mischief, unlawful possession of a destructive device, and unlawful possession of a firearm.