UPDATE: Proud Boy, Patriot Prayer brawler Tusitala ‘Tiny’ Toese barred from Portland protests for 2 years, judge rules

A right-wing activist best known for brawling amid demonstrations in Portland plans to plead guilty Tuesday for his role in a violent altercation prompted by political differences.

Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, 23, has faced felony and misdemeanor assault charges since Multnomah County prosecutors said he and an associate, Donovan Flippo, beat a man during a June 2018 confrontation in Northeast Portland.

The man, Timothy Ledwith, previously said he told investigators the pair had been shouting slogans in support of President Donald Trump as well as homophobic slurs from a pickup truck near Northeast 12th Avenue and Broadway when he yelled back at them.

Toese and Flippo, both members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing fraternal organization, responded by punching Ledwith in the face, sending him to the hospital, the injured man alleged.

Ledwith, a self-described anti-fascist activist, said he had attended Portland protests opposing right-wing rallies in which Toese and Flippo had been participants.

Toese, a Vancouver resident, left for his hometown in American Samoa after a grand jury indicted him and Flippo in February. He was returning to the United States mainland when he was arrested Oct. 4 at the Portland International Airport.

Flippo pleaded guilty over the summer to fourth-degree assault.

Toese, who is 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, gained notoriety as a member of the Proud Boys as well as Patriot Prayer, another right-wing group.

He served as one of Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson’s closest confidants until the duo had a falling out.

In October, Toese was jailed for 10 days in Multnomah County after he violated his probation on a harassment conviction stemming from a fight at a December 2017 demonstration in downtown Portland.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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