Page 4
September 26, 2018
Police Sued for Flash Bag Injury
authenticity. Cantu remained anonymous up
when the claim was filed a week ago.
When Cantu first heard a loud explosion, the
claim states, he immediately started running
away. He heard three or more loud bangs before
being hit and started bleeding from his head,
eyes blurry, and unable to yell or speak. He was
attended briefly by a street medic at a bus stop
before fleeing on foot again as police continued
firing projectiles before being taken to a hospital.
Portland police temporarily suspended use of
the flash-bag weapons, which were intended to
be a “less-lethal” crowd dispersal tool, immedi-
ately following the Aug. 4 protests and the mul-
tiple reports of injuries.
Cantu is the second person to have notified
the city of the intention to sue for injuries caused
by the crowd dispersal munitions. Michelle
Fawcett filed a tort claim on Sept. 13 for alleged-
ly receiving third-degree chemical burns from a
flash-bang munition that hit her arm and chest.
by D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
A man is suing the city of Portland for be-
ing hit in the back of the head with a flash-bang
munition that police are accused of launching
at counter-protestors without warning during a
right-wing rally early last month in downtown
Portland.
Aaron Anthony Cantu, who was wearing a
bicycle helmet when he was struck, claims he
suffered a traumatic brain injury when the de-
vice pierced the helmet during the protest and
was treated initially by a street medic before be-
ing transported to hospital Aug. 4, a tort claim
filed last week on Cantu’s behalf stated. The
injury, which occurred on Southwest Columbia
Street between First Avenue and Naito Parkway
would’ve likely been fatal if not for the helmet,
the claim said.
“The medics had to move him out of this
dangerous situation created by created by Port-
land Police. Mr. Cantu thought he was going to
die,” a notice sent to the city by attorneys Juan
Chavez and Crystal Maloney stated.
The claim also states that Cantu did not re-
ceive warning from police before the projectiles
were launched. It also stated Cantu had not wit-
nessed any projectiles or violence from the peo-
ple on the counter-protestor side.
The photos of Cantu’s injuries went viral on
social media the day of the protest, though Po-
lice and the city’s Independent Police Review
were unable to speak with him to confirm their
Portland protester Aaron Anthony Cantu
released this photo of his bike helmet
punctured from a flash-bang munition
that he said Portland Police negligently
fired during a counter-protest to right
wing demonstrators last Aug. 4,
downtown. Cantu has filed a lawsuit
against the city, claiming the projectile
caused a traumatic brain injury.
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