A grand jury has returned a 21-count indictment against Michael Strickland, the man accused of pulling a handgun on a crowd of protesters in downtown Portland in early July, according to court records.

The indictment, returned Thursday, charges Strickland, 36, of Southeast Portland with 10 counts of unlawful use of a weapon, 10 counts of menacing and one count of disorderly conduct.

The weapons charges are Class C felonies, and the menacing charges are misdemeanors.

Each unlawful use of a weapon charge accuses Strickland of attempting to use, and possessing with intent to use a firearm against another. The menacing charge accuses Strickland of placing another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury.

He's scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment Friday morning. A settlement conference is scheduled for Oct. 13.

Strickland was released from custody on July 19, after posting 10 percent of his $250,000 bail. He's among 18 people who testified before the grand jury, according to the indictment.

Strickland had an extended clip in what appeared to be a Glock 26 that he swept at chest level multiple times in front of Don't Shoot PDX protesters and a plain-clothed Portland police officer on July 7, according to Multnomah County prosecutor Katie Molina.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered downtown to demonstrate against the deaths of two black men in back-to-back police shootings this week in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Portland Officer Branden L. Combs was in Chapman Square during the protest and heard people running by him yelling, "Gun! Gun!'' and "He's got a gun,'' according to a probable cause affidavit.

One of the protesters told police that he had recognized Strickland from other demonstrations where he had tried to "incite or instigate others," and attempted to tell Strickland. That's when he saw Strickland reach under his shirt and pull out the weapon, according to a court affidavit.

Officer Combs was standing about 20 to 25 yards from Strickland when he saw him sweep the crowd with the firearm, Molina wrote in the affidavit.

Once Strickland was arrested, police found the loaded handgun with a round in the chamber of the gun, plus two magazines of ammunition in a belt pouch on his left side, two magazines in his front right pants pocket and one magazine in his left front pants pocket, Molina said. He also had a pocket knife in his right front pants pocket.

Strickland's attorney Chris Trotter countered last month in court that Strickland was a journalist with a concealed weapons license who "has every right to protect himself.''

He said he'd never heard of such a high bail sought for a defendant with no past criminal record. Trotter accused the district attorney's office of "making an example'' of his client in front of a courtroom with media and news cameras, and amid a climate of heightened sensitivity to guns.

Trotter last month also called the state's allegations "conflated and confused,'' and said it was Strickland who had been previously assaulted during his work.

Strickland has also retained lawyer Jason Glenn Short, who could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian