Portland Police said the attack was “orchestrated,” by a group of hooded and masked individuals, who broke windows on the Multnomah County Elections Building. They also spray-painted antigovernment graffiti.
The police reported that the attack took place just before 2 am on Monday. When the police entered the office, they fled. The office is currently vacant.
Chief Bob Day, at a press conference of the Portland Police Department, said: “It shows or demonstrates, what I would describe as an orchestrated attack on this building. The number of people was between 8 and 10 and they were there for two minutes. It was clear that the perpetrators had a plan, and they left as soon as possible after causing damage. “
He claimed that the graffiti was anti-government and anti-establishment.
“At this point, we are not suggesting that this was directly related to the inauguration,” he said, referring to President Donald Trump’s swearing-in Monday as the 47th president of the United States. “It’s important to remember that we have seen these types of attacks regardless of who’s in office.”
The police have not yet made any arrests as of Tuesday morning, but are sharing surveillance footage and encouraging anyone who has information to contact them.
In a video, eight people wearing gray hoodies, face masks, and backpacks remove cans of spray paint from their bags and write on the building. Others slam heavy plastic bags into windows.
In one video, about eight people wearing gray hoodies, face masks, and carrying backpacks walk up, pull spray paint containers out of bags, and write on the building. Others carrying plastic bags that appear to contain heavy objects slam them against the windows, causing them to shatter.
Denis Theriault of the Multnomah Communications Office said that the windows damaged had been boarded up as early as Monday at 9 am. The office was open for business as usual on Tuesday.
Tim Scott, the Elections Director for Multnomah County, said via email to the AP that “this had never happened in my 17-year career in Multnomah.” He stated that a contractor had been hired to measure the windows in hopes of replacing them by next week.
According to officials, the county’s team of security officers works with Portland Police for an investigation.
Meanwhile, police are still investigating an attack on a ballot box in October. An incendiary device was set off, destroying ballots about a week before Election Day. The early morning fire was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box. Two more fires in ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, damaged hundreds of ballots during the 2024 election.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations reported that the devices were constructed from “a very volatile mix” of scrap metal thermite.
