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The mayor of Portland, Oregon, sprayed pepper on an unmasked resident who confronted him about the city’s Covid-19 rules after a meal.
Ted Wheeler, the Democratic mayor since 2016, was dining with former mayor Sam Adams when the two were confronted by a man carrying a video camera on Sunday night outside a local pub, according to a police report obtained by Oregon Live.
According to the report, the man, described by Wheeler and Adams as middle-aged, accused the pair of eating without a mask. Wheeler reportedly told the man that the couple were dining in a tent and therefore did not need to cover their faces under current regulations.
The man followed the mayor closely as he walked to his car, according to the report.
“He didn’t have a face mask and got a foot or two away from my face while he filmed me,” Wheeler told police. “I have become very concerned about my personal safety.”
He added: “I made it clear to him that he had to back down. He didn’t, so I informed him that I was wearing pepper spray and would use it if he didn’t recoil. He stood at a distance, I pulled out my pepper spray and sprayed him in his eyes.
The mayor gave the man a bottle of water to rinse his face, according to the report.
Wheeler told police he did not recognize the man, who he and Adams both described as being in their 40s and wearing dark clothes and glasses, according to the police report.
A spokesperson for Wheeler’s office told Oregon Live that the mayor continued to cooperate with the police investigation.
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