This incident occurred on July 7, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. Throughout the video, you’ll hear a voice of reason trying to keep the crowd away from the nervous gunman, Michael Strickland, and talk Strickland into leaving. In this video, you’ll see how difficult that was. Several individuals approached Strickland, apparently intending to take him on. They’re lucky they didn’t get shot, and Strickland may be lucky to be alive, because the crowd might have ripped him apart if he shot someone. Ultimately, the police arrested him without incident. I’m posting this video to make the following point: If you find yourself in a demonstration where things are turning ugly, listen to the peacekeepers, and help them if you can. And never, ever, try to confront someone who is brandishing a gun. (Police later said Strickland’s gun was loaded and chambered, equipped with a high-capacity magazine, and he was carrying several extra magazines.) We all know how dangerous guns can be so if you’re ever involved in a situation like this, don’t try and get involved. You could end up injured or seriously hurt.
Follow up: Strickland, a conservative blogger, was charged with 10 felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon and 11 misdemeanor counts of menacing and disorderly conduct as a result of this incident. He pled not guilty to all charges and was released on $250,000 bail after spending about 10 days in jail. It’s rumored that he found a company that specialized in bail bonds and they managed to sort out the bail costs for him. The incident also got him banned from the Portland State University and Portland Community College campuses to avoid any further negative publicity.