The mayor of Portland, Oregon, sprayed pepper spray on an unmasked resident who confronted him about Covid-19 city rules after a meal out.
Ted Wheeler, the Democratic mayor since 2016, was having dinner with former mayor Sam Adams when the two were confronted by a man carrying a video camera on Sunday night in front of a local pub, according to a police report obtained by Oregon Live.
The man, described by Wheeler and Adams as middle-aged, accused the pair of dining without masks, according to the report. Wheeler reportedly told the man that the pair was having dinner in a tent area and therefore did not need to cover their faces according to current regulations.
The man followed the mayor closely as he walked to his car, according to the report.
“He didn’t wear a mask and was about a foot from my face while he was filming me,” Wheeler told police. “I was imminently concerned about my personal safety.”
He added: “I informed him clearly that he needed to back off. He didn’t do that. I informed him that I was carrying pepper spray and that I would use it if he didn’t back down. He stayed close, I removed my pepper spray and sprayed it in my 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, which he and Adams described as being in his 40s and wearing dark clothes and glasses, the police report said.
A spokesman for Wheeler’s office told Oregon Live that the mayor continued to cooperate with the police investigation.