Oregon drivers stopped at gunpoint by groups protecting wildfire ravaged properties from looters: sheriff

Oregon drivers have been illegally stopped at gunpoint by armed groups patrolling evacuation zones over the past week as massive wildfires sweep through the West, destroying more than 1 million acres in the state and displacing hundreds of thousands.

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said at a press conference Monday that his agency responded to more than 330 calls for service over the past week – a 400% increase from the previous week. 

“We have a group of different individuals that are actually trying to protect property. They actually have been armed and are stopping individuals within the commune out there,” Roberts said. “First thing I’d ask them to do is please stop that. We have reached out to a number of them. If they see somebody suspicious, call us. Let us handle it. It is illegal to stop somebody at gunpoint.”