PORTLAND, Ore. — Charges have been dismissed against two people accused of assaulting a man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat outside a Southeast Portland bar last month.
A Multnomah County grand jury on Thursday returned a “not true” bill against 22-year-old Leopold Hauser and 23-year-old Adebisi Okuneye. The two were accused of assaulting 34-year-old Luke Lenzner outside Growler’s Taproom, located at 3343 SE Hawthorne Blvd., on Aug. 24. Lenzner was bleeding from his nose when Portland police officers arrived at the scene.
According to court documents, Hauser, Okuneye and Lenzner got into an argument prompted by Lenzner wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
The altercation then turned physical. Lenzner told police Okuneye would not back away, so he pushed her back to create distance. After he pushed her, Lenzner said he was punched in the face by Hauser. Hauser told police he stepped between Lenzner and Okuneye and didn’t know how Lenzner got a bloodied nose.
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Lenzner's wife told police she asked her husband to wear the hat in Portland so she could see how people would treat him, according to a probable cause affidavit. She also told police both Hauser and Okuneye punched her husband.
A video posted to YouTube showed Lenzner at The Vern in Portland hours before the alleged assault outside Growler's Taproom. In the video, Lenzner is seen shouting expletives and pointing at people inside the bar.