PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that Gavaughn Gaquez Streeter-Hillerich, 22, has been charged by criminal complaint with two counts of using fire to maliciously damage and attempt to damage a building housing the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct and various private businesses on June 26, 2020.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of June 26, 2020, a group of demonstrators were present near the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct on NE Emerson Street in Portland. The precinct is located in a city-owned building containing multiple private businesses. Streeter-Hillerich was seen in video footage intentionally setting a large dumpster on fire near the building’s northwest exterior corner. The fire was set on top of the dumpster, which had been pushed up against plywood affixed to the building to protect windows and prevent break-ins. Officers used fire extinguishers to try and extinguish the fire before firefighters arrived.
The fire caused damage to the building and, were it allowed to spread, would have threatened the safety of 15 police personnel and four individuals in custody inside the building. Video evidence of the fire submitted by a private citizen led investigators to identify Streeter-Hillerich and bring charges in this case.
Streeter-Hillerich was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Vancouver, Washington on September 15, 2020. He made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was ordered released pending further court proceedings. Arson is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years.
This case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
