Police identified a man who was sprayed with pepper spray by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler as a lawyer named Cary Cadonau
PORTLAND, Oregon. – Police on Tuesday identified a man who was sprayed with pepper spray by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler as a partner in a law firm who also tried to get a shot of the mayor at a restaurant and get a copy of his meal receipt .
An additional police report identified Cary Cadonau as the man who was sprayed with pepper spray by Wheeler after he confronted the mayor leaving a restaurant on Sunday night and accused him of not wearing a mask. No charges were filed in the incident. Cadonau did not immediately return an email asking for comments.
Wheeler and Sam Adams, who served as Mayor of Portland from 2009 to 2013, were dining in a tent area and were walking to their cars when Cadonau approached, unmasked and approached the Mayor’s face while filming with his phone, according to the police reports.
According to a statement the mayor gave to the police, Wheeler told the man about the current regulations of COVID-19, which allows people to remove their mask to eat or drink.
“He then accused me of other things for which I indicated that he did not understand the rules and should probably understand better if he were going to confront people about them,” said Wheeler in his statement.
Wheeler said the man was a foot or two from him and Wheeler was concerned about his safety and hired COVID-19. Wheeler told the man to “back off” and was carrying pepper spray, which he would use if necessary. As the man did not listen, the mayor said he sprayed him in the eyes.
“He looked surprised and stepped back,” Wheeler told police. “He made a comment like, ‘I can’t believe you just sprayed me with pepper.’ “
Adams, whose statement to the police was consistent with the mayor’s, suggested to Wheeler that he should leave for his safety. Before doing so, Wheeler said he threw a bottle of water at the man so he could wash his eyes, he told police.
Cadonau told the police, when contacted on Monday, that he did not want to discuss the matter because he was a lawyer. He said the mayor should be “held accountable” but gave no further details, according to the police report.
Cadonau was asked why he tried to get surveillance footage of the restaurant in Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood, as well as his pub’s food and drink receipt, according to the report.
“Sir. Cadonau said he wanted the receipt because it would show the amount of alcohol the mayor consumed that night. I asked him several times if he wanted to talk about the incident, share his video or provide his side of the story, but he respectfully did. refused to say anything more, “wrote officer Matt Miller.
2019 stories on The Oregonian / OregonLive identify a lawyer named Cary Cadonau discussing in court the sale of his family’s company, Alpenrose Dairy, to a Seattle-based company.
Wheeler, who was re-elected in November, was the target of left-wing protesters, including some who broke windows and set a small fire inside his building.