BLM rioter charged by feds for setting Portland police building on fire

A Portland man is accused by federal authorities of trying to set the Portland Police Bureau’s north precinct on fire at a violent Black Lives Matter-Antifa protest in June.

Gavaughn Gaquez Streeter-Hillerich, 22, has been charged with two felony counts of using fire to maliciously damage and attempt to damage a city-owned building and multiple private businesses, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced its decision to prosecute on Wednesday.

In the early hours of June 26 when rioters launched fireworks at law enforcement, Streeter-Hillerich was identified in video footage allegedly setting a large-sized dumpster on fire near the police station’s northwest exterior corner. The trash receptacle was pushed against plywood that was affixed to the building.

Officers used fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived. The flames damaged the building. There were 15 police personnel and four detained individuals inside the police station at the time.

A video recording by a civilian led investigators to name Streeter-Hillerich as a suspect in the case.

On July 8, PPB officers and Portland Fire and Rescue’s Fire Investigation Unit arrested Streeter-Hillerich in relation to the June 26 incident. He was charged with felony arson in the first degree and felony riot. He was also charged with felony riot, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, and failure to perform the duties of a driver in relation to a June 8 demonstration where rioters blocked Interstate 84. The suspect was later released.

Streeter-Hillerich was arrested this week by the US Marshals Service in Vancouver, Wash. following a federal investigation involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the FBI. According to the affidavit written by an ATF special agent, Streeter-Hillerich told her that other individuals present at the fire were “anarchists” and some were “leaders with the Rose City Justice organization.” Rose City Justice is one of the new groups in Portland that organizes BLM-themed protests.

He made his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday before a U.S. magistrate judge. He was ordered released pending further court proceedings. Arson is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.

Streeter-Hillerich’s indictment is scheduled for Oct. 2. His LinkedIn shows his work history involving short-term positions at Taco Bell and other fast food restaurants.

This year isn’t the first time he’s had run-ins with the law. In 2019, Streeter-Hillerich was convicted of third-degree felony assault. He was on probation at the time of both recent offences and is scheduled for a probation violation hearing.

His brother is also well-known to law enforcement in Portland. In 2018, Gary Wayne Streeter-Hillerich, was slapped with a 20-year sentence for raping, kidnapping, abusing and robbing a random woman he followed off a bus while he was already on supervised release from a previous sex crime.