Christopher Ponte, 37, turned himself in to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday after being charged in a May 1 street brawl outside of Cider Riot, a Northeast Portland pub.
Ponte, a longtime member of alt-right group Patriot Prayer, is accused of inciting a riot and assaulting a woman with a weapon. It's not clear from Ponte's August 12 indictment what type of weapon he used in the alleged assault.
Ponte and other members of Patriot Prayer arrived at Cider Riot on May 1, looking to confront anti-fascist (or, antifa) activists who were celebrating after a day of peaceful May Day demonstrations. In a video of the confrontation, members of Patriot Prayer are seen shouting at people sitting on the Cider Riot patio, drawing ire from the left-wing imbibers. After spraying mace at each other, the opposing groups engaged in a violent street fight. One woman associated with antifa was sent to the hospital with an alleged vertebrae fracture.
Ponte is the third member of Patriot Prayer to be arrested in the wake of the May Day clash. Last week, Ian Kramer and Matthew Cooper were booked on assault charges stemming from the Cider Riot brawl. All three men have been named as defendants in a civil lawsuit filed by Cider Riot owner Abram Goldman-Armstrong, accusing Patriot Prayer of acting negligently and trespassing on private property.
According to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Ponte will be arraigned sometime today.
