PORTLAND, Ore. — A man was found guilty on multiple charges on Thursday for verbally harassing two African American boys on December 18, 2018.
Michael Amatullo was found guilty with two counts of second-degree intimidation, two counts of menacing and one count of unlawful use of a weapon for threatening the boys, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation began on December 18, 2018, when Portland police responded to reports of a disturbance on the 9200 block of Southeast Division Street. The victims told officers that a neighbor had used racist language and threatened them with a knife.
According to court documents, Amatullo came up to an 8-year-old boy who was taking out trash from his apartment and started yelling at him, using the N-word and other expletives.
The boy's older brother then came outside and tried to de-escalate the situation. At that point, police say Amatullo started calling the teenager the N-word.
Fearing for their safety, the older brother physically threatened Amatullo, according to trial testimony.
Police say Amatullo then went into his house and brought a kitchen knife out to "protect himself."
Amatullo was arrested shortly after, but the racial attacks didn't stop there. Documents say while he was in the back of a police car, Amatullo continued to use racist and antisemitic language towards the officer and his family.
Amatullo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2019, at 1:30 p.m.
