Mark Lee wore a camouflage shirt and tactical vest as he walked down SW Alder Street on Aug. 8. Slung across his shoulder was what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.
A person who had crossed paths with Lee called 911. It was 10:09 p.m., and the first such call dispatchers would receive that night. The caller described the scene as “fucking weird” and said the 23-year-old was “kinda talking about how I was safe, but maybe others weren’t.”
“He had a very large assault rifle,” the caller said.
It would take another 16 minutes for police to learn Lee was not carrying a real rifle, but instead an airsoft replica, according to call logs and dispatch recordings reviewed by OPB.
Mark A. Lee, 23, of Portland pleaded guilty to menacing and unlawful use of a weapon after he pointed a realistic looking airsoft rifle at several people during a protest on Aug. 8, 2021.
Portland Police Bureau
In total, over the course of about 30 minutes, nine people dialed 911 to report the incident or request police assistance.
“Right in front of Pioneer Courthouse Square, there’s a fellow with a long gun walking down the road there,” one caller reported.
When the dispatcher said they had received multiple calls about a man fitting that description with an AR-15 over his shoulder, the caller responded more urgently.
“Oh he’s holding it, he’s got his finger on the trigger,” he said, explaining that people were following him screaming, “He’s got a gun.”
Officers did not dispatch to the scene as Lee strolled through downtown Portland, pointing his replica rifle at protesters and journalists. Those bystanders and the rest of the public wouldn’t learn the rifle was fake for hours.
The incident took place after violent street clashes between members of the far right extremist group the Proud Boys and anti-fascists attempting to chase them out of town. The Proud Boys, a violent far right group which played a central role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, had been providing security at Waterfront Park for a religious event hosted by fringe Christian songwriter and anti-COVID restriction activist Sean Feucht.
The Portland Police Bureau later explained its lack of response to the calls about Lee by stating its officers were occupied responding to several higher priority calls, including a homicide and a person in a mental health crisis.
In the weeks that followed, the bureau came under intense criticism for failing to respond to a violent Aug. 22 protest between far right demonstrators and anti-fascists in the Parkrose neighborhood. Police were also largely absent in October as a crowd of approximately 100 anarchists smashed windows downtown.
The calls about Lee reviewed by OPB show people contacting 911 expressed urgency over a seemingly armed man pointing a gun at people.
“There’s one guy who’s got tactical gear on. He’s got an AR-15 slung in front, wearing a camo shirt,” another caller reported. “He definitely has an AR-15.”
As Lee moved east on Alder toward the Morrison Bridge, he pulled out his phone and called 911 himself.
“I’m being tailed by antifa and I need immediate evac,” Lee told the dispatcher at 10:23 p.m. “If they get too close again I will…”
Lee, who reported the crowd had been threatening him, cut himself off to yell at people heard screaming in the background.
Around two minutes into the conversation, the dispatcher asked Lee if he had any weapons on him.
“Yes, I have an airsoft M4,” he said in a quieter voice.
A man with an assault rifle has been patrolling downtown Portland for over 17 minutes, police have driven by without stopping.
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) August 9, 2021
No police response. pic.twitter.com/shB30NDFQv
Over the next several minutes, the dispatcher relayed communications between an unnamed Portland police sergeant and Lee as the officer attempted to guide him toward another officer, first on Alder Street near the Morrison Bridge and then toward the bureau’s Central Precinct, located at 2nd Avenue and Main Street.
“I’m not going south on 2nd,” Lee told the dispatcher. “That’s too risky. I will meet them at the Morrison Bridge. They better be there.”
Lee told the dispatcher there were protesters along 2nd Avenue, and that going toward the precinct would be risking his life.
Four and a half minutes later, as Lee was trying to make his way to Central Precinct, he told the dispatcher a police cruiser had driven past him. Lee said he needed to be met at the federal courthouse, and the dispatcher assured him protesters were not at the police precinct.
“Alright, I need them to be at the entrance to the back. I need to just walk in,” Lee said. “There needs to be officers inside, ready for me to walk in.”
As Lee approached the precinct, the dispatcher asked him to put the rifle on his shoulder because the waiting police officers wouldn’t want him carrying it.
“I cannot because they are too close to me,” Lee replied, referring to a crowd of journalists, protesters and onlookers near him. “I will turn the safety on at least.”
As an officer came into his view, Lee continued to make demands to the dispatcher and officers. He told the dispatcher to have the officer approach, explaining he “needs somewhat of a buffer to get up to you guys.”
The waiting officers wanted Lee to approach with his hands on his head, the dispatcher said, but he refused.
“I can’t do that,” he said. “Once I hit the corner, I will and I will get off the phone with you.”
After 18 minutes and 15 seconds on the call with 911, Lee hung up. Video of the incident shows him surrendering to the waiting officers.
Lee was released that night but was eventually arrested and charged with menacing and unlawful use of a weapon. He pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to two years probation for menacing, with the stipulation that he not possess firearms or airsoft weapons. Sentencing for the felony weapon charge was deferred pending the outcome of his probation.