PORTLAND, Ore. — An Indiana man who traveled to Portland to join protests in the summer of 2020 has pleaded guilty to more than a dozen state and federal charges and will serve 10 years in prison.
Malik Muhammad, 25, pleaded guilty to 14 felony charges. He was initially charged with 26 felonies in Multnomah County, and the U.S. Attorney's office later added federal charges.
According to court documents, Muhammad traveled with his girlfriend from Indianapolis to Portland in late summer 2020 to participate in the racial justice protests that swept the city.
On Sept. 5, according to the U.S. Attorney, Muhammad provided baseball bats to rioters at a demonstration where people threw Molotov cocktails and other dangerous objects at police.
After the demonstration, police found a discarded bat with a Goodwill price tag. Police later recovered surveillance video from Goodwill showing Muhammad and his girlfriend purchasing the bats and several growler bottles.
During another demonstration on Sept. 21, 2020, law enforcement saw someone light an object on fire and throw it toward a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office building, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The makeshift Molotov cocktail, which did not explode, was made with one of the growlers Muhammad had purchased at Goodwill. Police also linked the bottle to Muhammad by DNA.
RELATED: Arts board says statues toppled during Portland protests should not return to original sites
Two days later at another demonstration, Muhammad was seen on video throwing another Molotov cocktail in a large growler toward law enforcement. The device exploded and an officer's pant leg caught on fire, prosecutors said.
On Oct. 11, 2020, a group of rioters began vandalizing businesses and parks in downtown Portland, including the Oregon Historical Society. Police said Muhammad smashed the windows of multiple buildings and officers arrested him after a short chase. Muhammad was carrying a loaded handgun magazine that matched a loaded handgun found discarded near the location of his arrest.
After Muhammad's October 2020 arrest, law enforcement found messages on his cell phone bragging about providing the baseball bats, as well as a shopping list of supplies commonly used to make Molotov cocktails.
The U.S. Attorney's office said Muhammad also traveled to Louisville, Ky. in August 2020 to meet with antigovernment extremist groups for firearms and tactical training. He also posted on social media promoting violence toward law enforcement in other cities experiencing large protest movements, like Chicago and Kenosha, Wis.
In addition to a 10-year prison sentence, Muhammad was ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution.
