Ted Wheeler, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, sprayed pepper spray on a man on Sunday who confronted him for not wearing a mask while dining at a pub.
Wheeler and ex-mayor Sam Adams were leaving McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House around 8 pm, when a man who recorded him said he was photographing the mayor while he was inside a tent area.
Wheeler said the man followed him to the car while continuing to record and refused to back down, according to a police report.
“He accused me of sitting in a restaurant without a mask,” said the report. “In fact, I was in the tent area of a restaurant sitting at a table and I informed him that current Covid regulations allow people to remove their mask to eat and drink.
“He then accused me of other things for which I indicated that he did not understand the rules and that he should probably have a better understanding if he were going to confront people about them,” said Wheeler in his statement.
In this archive photo from August 30, 2020, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks during a news conference. On Monday, it was revealed that he sprayed pepper spray on a man who confronted him outside a pub at the weekend for not wearing a mask during dinner. (Sean Meagher / The Oregonian via AP, archive)
He said the man was not wearing a mask and was “an inch or so from my face” during the meeting. Wheeler said he was concerned about his personal safety and the hiring of COVID-19.
“I clearly informed him that he needed to back off,” he said. “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 took off my pepper spray and sprayed it in his eyes.”
The man commented, “I can’t believe you just sprayed me with pepper,” said Wheeler.
He said he threw a bottle of water at the man so he could rinse his face. He then notified the authorities and his chief of staff about what happened.
Wheeler, who was re-elected in November, has been shot in public before.
A group of left-wing activists approached him and shouted obscenities at him earlier this month while he was dining out. Protesters demanded his resignation due to the city’s response to last year’s chaotic protests, which saw routine violence and vandalism.
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Wheeler was forced to move after his condo’s windows were broken and a fire broke out in his building.