Portland bar security guard says he was attacked after May Day riot
PORTLAND, Ore. May 6 2017— A security guard at a downtown Portland bar is recovering after a group of customers attacked him.
It happened Monday evening at Kelly’s Olympian Bar on Southwest Washington Street.
Nicholas Martin said the suspects appeared to have been part of that evening’s May Day riot in downtown Portland. He said the group was hanging out at a table outside the bar when Martin asked one customer to stop smoking so close to the building.
“I said, ‘listen, I’m a security guy here and I’m asking you to step away from the table,’” recalled Martin. “‘I have to enforce this rule and I asked you very nicely.’”
Martin said the customer swore at him, blew smoke in his face and then things escalated.
“This girl comes up from behind and kicks me in my groin,” said Martin. “This sets off a fight.”
Security cameras captured video of the fight, which Martin’s attorney posted on YouTube. The video shows one of the suspects dragging Martin to the ground and hitting him. Martin got up and hit back.
“It wasn’t just a fist fight,” said Martin. “It felt like they were really trying to hurt me.”
Police and medics responded. Martin said they just missed the suspects, but not the trail of evidence they left behind. He said he hopes it lands them behind bars.
“You attacked me and you’re stupid enough to use your debit cards in the bar so now we got your names and the time stamps of when you were in the bar and on top of that, you ran off,” said Martin.
He hopes someone who knows the suspects will turn them in to police. He also plans to sue them.
“I want some measure of justice,” said Martin.
KGW