Proud Boy ‘Tiny’ Toese arraigned in Portland in violent August clash

A Vancouver member of the far-right Proud Boys was arraigned Wednesday in Multnomah County, Ore., on 11 charges stemming from an August rally in Portland that ended in violence.

Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, 25, pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree assault with a weapon, two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of riot and two counts of first-degree criminal mischief in Multnomah County Circuit Court, records show. Toese was extradited from Clark County on Tuesday evening.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office requested Toese be held without bail because of his criminal history, according to a news release.

Toese and another member of the Proud Boys, Miles Furrow, 41, were indicted in December and are charged as co-defendants. Furrow pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree assault with a weapon, two counts of third-degree assault and one count each of riot and unlawful use of a weapon, according to court records.

Toese was a leader of the Aug. 22 Proud Boys event in east Portland that culminated in a furious exchange of pepper spray, projectiles and paintballs between the far-right group and anti-fascists near an abandoned Kmart. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said Toese gave commands to his group to chase after fleeing counterprotesters and incited his group to shoot paintballs at them and assault them.

Toese allegedly used a baseball bat to break out the windows of a man’s car carrying water that Toese claimed belonged to antifa. Later, one of Toese’s group members beat the man as he hid in his car, court records state.

Toese is also facing assault, criminal trespass and obstructing law enforcement charges in Thurston County in connection with a Jan. 6 incident in which a group of protesters allegedly unlawfully entered the ground of the governor’s mansion in Olympia, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney. That case is pending a hearing to reset trial dates.