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Hawaii man suing Oregon city and police

PORTLAND, Ore. >> A Hawaii resident acquitted of a criminal charge stemming from a public protest in Oregon is suing Portland and city and state police officers, court records said.

Jeremy Ibarra was arrested for disorderly conduct during a June 2017 demonstration in downtown Portland, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Wednesday. A Multnomah County Circuit Court jury acquitted him in May.

Police pursued a false arrest, used excessive force and violated Ibarra’s First Amendment right to free speech and Fourth Amendment rights by engaging in mass detention, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Ibarra was involved in a protest after the fatal stabbing of two men and the wounding of a third by a man believed to have made racist remarks to two African American girls riding a train, the lawsuit said.

“When Mr. Ibarra attempted to run out of the crowd contained by police officers, two officers allegedly stepped in his way and he ran directly into them. After colliding with these officers, a number of police shot pepper balls at his chest,” the lawsuit said.

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