By JIM RYAN, SHANE DIXON KAVANAUGH and SARAH VERSCHOOR

The Oregonian/OregonLive

A traumatic brain injury. Third-degree chemical burns. Open wounds.

At least three people who gathered to protest a rally by right-wing group Patriot Prayer were hospitalized Saturday because of injuries sustained from crowd-control munitions fired by Portland police, according to activists, counter-protest organizers and a media report.

The city's police chief, Danielle Outlaw, on Monday offered her most passionate defense yet of officer tactics used to keep the rival political factions apart. She also said the Police Bureau would stop using flash-bang projectiles for now.

Police succeeded in preventing violent clashes between armed demonstrators that many had feared, she said.

The demonstration was widely cast as a showdown between Patriot Prayer, whose leader is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Vancouver with a history of stirring fierce opposition in Portland, and opponents on the left, including anti-fascists.

Outlaw, speaking at a news conference, said the groups were expected to converge and emphasized "what this did not become."

"It was going to be a very rowdy, physically violent ruckus and it was not that because of the actions that the officers took," Outlaw said.

Portland Police Chief Outlaw addresses police response to Saturday demonstrations Portland Police Chief Outlaw addresses police response to Saturday demonstrations. Posted by The Oregonian on Monday, August 6, 2018

Her comments came as police have come under scrutiny for their use of flash-bang grenades, pepper balls, pepper spray and so-called "less lethal" rounds fire at or near protesters.

One flash-bang grenade — a device that delivers jarring blasts intended to disperse crowds of people — struck a counter-protester in the back of the head, lodging into a helmet he was wearing and sending him to a hospital, said Jenny Nickolaus, a friend of the injured man. She declined to name him.

Photos show a bloody gash in his scalp. The helmet he was wearing still contained the ammunition cartridge.

"It blew so much skin off, I don't even know if they were able to patch it up right," Nickolaus said. "The nurse told him the blow would have been lethal had he not been wearing a helmet."

Instead, the impact left the man with a traumatic brain injury and hemorrhaging, Nickolaus said. Her friend was released from the hospital on Sunday and will miss at least a week of work, she said.

The injured counter-protester has not yet spoken with police about the incident, Nickolaus said. He's a Portland activist who showed up in opposition to Patriot Prayer, she said.

The Guardian also reported that a flash-bang left Michelle Fawcett, 52, with severe soft tissue wounds and third-degree chemical burns. And street medics at the protest said a third person was taken to a hospital with a large arm wound that required stitches.

After hours of relative calm, the police response escalated about 2 p.m. Saturday when officers ordered a group of counter-protesters near Southwest Naito Parkway and Columbia Street to disperse.

When the group didn't immediately leave, police fired dozens of flash-bang grenades and other crowd-control munitions. Officers rushed toward the crowd, shoving some protesters out of the street.

Police have said protesters had thrown a "chemical agent" and other objects at officers. Outlaw said police didn't give orders for protesters to disperse or use crowd-control munitions until after things were thrown at police.

Some counter-protesters and reporters, including those from Oregonian/OregonLive, didn't see that.

A video tweeted by a KATU-TV photojournalist appears to show projectiles thrown only after the munitions were deployed.

Outlaw and Assistant Chief Ryan Lee said the bureau has temporarily suspended the use of the projectiles, which they referred to as aerial distraction devices, until it can be determined if they are working properly.

Lee said officers are trained to fire the devices into the air over a crowd. He later said he didn't believe the devices were meant to puncture helmets.

"We would ask that the owner of that bike helmet come forward so we can examine it, because if that image is in fact as it appears, that would not be consistent with what we would expect that device to do," Lee said. "We need to understand why and how, if that is indeed an accurate image."

Four people also were arrested at the dueling protests. They were arraigned Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Tracy Molina, shown in a video as an officer pushed her to the ground, pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and attempted assault on a public safety officer.

Molina, a U.S. Navy veteran, said in an interview before court that she was trying to leave the area and was walking away from police while shouting, "Stop shooting" as officers fired pepper-spray balls into the crowd.

Molina, 45, said she picked up a discarded sign that condemned racism.

A video taken by another person at the demonstration shows Molina waving the poster at an officer before she turns to walk away. Moments later, the officer tries to snag the poster from her hand. Another officer pushes her, she falls, gets up and then several officers pile on top of her.

She hit her head, was bruised all over her legs and knees and had an elbow injury, she said.

Two men, Robert Majure, 27, who goes by Jonah, and Tristan Romine-Mann, 28, pleaded not guilty to harassment and disorderly conduct charges, accused of throwing a glitter-and-lubricant mixture in a bucket at officers. Majure also pleaded not guilty to resisting arrest.

After court, the men said they brought four buckets of gold glitter mixed with water and powdered lubricant used for horse insemination. They intended to use a super soaker-style water gun to spray the concoction at the crowd of Patriot Prayer followers.

But before they could do that, police ordered them to dump it out, Romine-Mann said.

They dumped it on the chests of six officers who approached them, he said.

Prosecutors didn't charge a fourth person, Joseph Evans, 34, who was arrested Saturday during the protests. The case remains under investigation, said Brent Weisberg, spokesman for the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler weighed in on the police response Monday, saying in part that the Police Bureau's goals were to keep the opposing groups separated and "to protect lives." He said they accomplished both objectives.

"Though the worst was avoided, some individuals sustained injuries," Wheeler said in a statement. "Chief Outlaw and I take this seriously. The Chief has directed the Professional Standards Division to begin an internal review of the tactics employed and actions taken by PPB."

— Jim Ryan, Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Sarah Verschoor

Kale Williams and Elliot Njus The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report