DOJ to pay Portland anti-cop militant $7.65 MILLION over injury during 2020 riot outside federal courthouse after he threw gas grenade at police

An anti-police protester, who was injured by a US Marshal during the infamous 2020 riots in downtown Portland, will receive a $7.65 million settlement from the Department of Justice. Donovan LaBella, 30, of Oregon, was left disabled after being shot in the head with a less-lethal crowd control munition while participating in a BLM-Antifa riot outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland on July 11, 2020.

Federal authorities said LaBella had thrown a gas grenade at police officers, which prompted law enforcement to fire additional rounds into the crowd. One of those rounds accidentally struck Labella directly on his forehead, causing him to sustain a traumatic brain injury. He was left with a condition called frontal lobe syndrome, which affects cerebral functions such as speech and social behaviors, according to the complaint.

Attorneys with the US Department of Justice who represented the deputy US Marshal blamed the injury on the civil unrest that occurred that evening outside the federal courthouse. Portland saw incessant rioting for over 100 days. The attorneys said that the officer, identified only as John Doe 1, used “reasonable and privileged” force while responding to the riot. Additionally, they blamed the incident on the gas mask worn by the officer at the time, which made it difficult to aim the launcher.

The Deputy US Marshal reportedly aimed for LaBella’s stomach. “Unfortunately, the impact round did not strike Mr. LaBella in the abdomen, where John Doe 1 had aimed. Instead, it struck him in the head,” attorneys for the DOJ wrote in a court filing last year.

The unidentified US Marshal was among hundreds of federal police officers who were deployed to Portland to quell the anti-police riots in the summer of 2020. The Justice Department’s counsel stated that the officer, who was a member of the agency’s Special Operations Group, received training on the use of less lethal devices. After federal officers fired a gas grenade at demonstrators, the DOJ attorneys said that LaBella hurled it back in their direction. The deputy marshal stated that they were aiming for LaBella’s abdomen and observed him collapse to the ground after firing. Bystander video recorded at the scene showed a large pool of blood surrounding LaBella.

The incident escalated the riots and civil unrest, which lasted for more than 100 consecutive days outside of the federal courthouse. The settlement was reached in November but was not formally announced until February 7. LaBella’s $7.65 million settlement will be divided into an initial $3.5 million payment intended to go toward legal, medical, and housing expenses. The remaining funds will go towards paying for his expenses over the course of the next 40 years of LaBella’s life, according to court documents.

“We are happy to confirm that after years of highly-contested litigation, we were successful in resolving Donavan’s legal claims in a way that will ensnare his future needs,” James Healy, LaBella’s attorney, told OPB. “This resolution provides Donavan and his conservator the resources necessary to access services he has needed, but otherwise lived without, since the time of his injury in July of 2020.”

This marks yet another hefty payout given to anti-police rioters involved in the violent 2020 civil unrest in downtown Portland.