Update: Eugene men face criminal charges for federal building protests

5:50 p.m. May 6: This story was updated with information from a criminal complaint made public Wednesday, May 6.

A Eugene man has been accused of destroying federal property while attempting to breach the federal building during the protests of Jan. 30.

Soren Emery Polzin, 18, has been charged with depredation of federal property, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon. 

An FBI affidavit’s description of the “large windowpane” authorities say Polzin shattered matches that of a window at one time claimed by many on social media to have been broken from the inside by a federal officer.

Citizen video that circulated on social media for days after the protest included a video showing an officer throwing a tear gas canister from inside the building to the outside, seemingly breaking glass along the way.

But the FBI in February released video from the inside of the building’s lobby showing a window in the same location shattering with shards falling into the building. No officers or thrown objects could be seen near the window at the time of its shattering.

The affidavit, made public Wednesday, May 6, cites video taken from the inside of the lobby as well as video taken from the federal buildings south courtyard. Timestamps were used to match-up the two videos, according to the affidavit.

After banging on a window and kicking a window — to no obvious effect — a man later identified as Porzin “appears to place both hands on vertical metal bars immediately adjacent to the window he was striking,” then appears to lift himself up using the bars to “propel his lower body toward the window.”

The time that this happens is a match to the interior video’s timestamp showing the window shattering, the affidavit states, which also notes the courtyard video showing “many individuals in the nearby crowd begin to back away or run from the immediate area.”

Polzin appeared in federal court Tuesday, May 5, before a U.S. magistrate judge. He was ordered released pending further court proceedings. 

“The harm in this case goes beyond the thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to the federal building on January 30, 2026,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon.  “Federal employees were trapped inside, terrified of what would happen if the building were fully breached. This was a riot, not a lawful protest.”

Added Doug Olson, FBI Portland special agent in charge: “This arrest marks a huge step forward in our investigation of the damage to the Eugene federal building on January 30, 2026.” 

Court documents accuse Polzin as being part of a group that damaged the exterior windows and doors of the federal building and attempted to gain access to it while employees were inside. He is accused of repeatedly banging on and kicking the lobby window, eventually shattering it.

In another case stemming from protest activities outside the federal building, a 37-year-old Eugene man pleaded not guilty Tuesday, May 5, to two assault charges, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ryan Bruce Gaither Jr. was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of assault on a federal employee involving physical contact and a second charge of aggravated assault on a federal employee causing bodily injury.

Court documents accuse Gaither of spitting on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Special Response Team officer and biting a second officer during a Jan. 27 protest outside the federal building. 

Gaither appeared before a U.S. magistrate Tuesday. He was ordered released pending a jury trial scheduled to begin Oct. 5. 

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.