Report: Portland mayor pepper-sprayed man out of fear of safety, contracting COVID

PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 30: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media at City Hall on August 30, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. A man was fatally shot Saturday night as a Pro-Trump rally clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown Portland.

Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler pepper-sprayed a man who confronted and videotaped him and a former mayor as they left a restaurant Sunday evening.

According to a police report Wheeler and Sam Adams, who served one term as Portland mayor from 2009 to 2013,  had been dining in a tented area. When the two left, Wheeler said a man approached him and accused the mayor of dining without wearing a mask.

Wheeler told police that the man stood close to him and he became concerned for his safety and contracting COVID-19.

Wheeler, who was re-elected in November, has been targeted by left-wing demonstrators, including some who smashed windows and set fires.

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