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Clarinetist pepper-sprayed, jailed across state lines, later pleads guilty after ICE protest

Jul 23, 2026

Clarinetist pepper-sprayed, jailed across state lines, later pleads guilty after ICE protest
Photo via projects.propublica.org

Oriana Korol, 38, a clarinet player with the Unpresidented Brass Band and a child and family therapist, was pepper-sprayed twice in the face and tackled by federal officers moments after her band finished playing the "Ghostbusters" theme during a protest outside Portland's ICE facility on October 12, 2025. Video shows her dragged to the ground, her glasses and clarinet broken, as she pleaded that she has asthma and was struggling to breathe. She was transported across state lines to Clark County Jail in Vancouver, Washington, where she was held for roughly three nights before her husband learned of the transfer; she was reunited with her partner and 3-year-old child upon release. Prosecutors initially charged her with felony assault, alleging she kicked and bit an officer, which carried up to eight years in prison, while she maintained she acted defensively after being shoved and pepper-sprayed. Band founder Miles Thompson called the felony charge "absurd" and said he saw nothing warranting her arrest. After a trial in which she testified she never kicked or bit the officer, Korol later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for trying to kick an officer and faces sentencing with a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Timeline

Jul 23, 2026—Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a federal officer; sentencing scheduled for August 24.
May 13, 2026—Went to trial on felony assault charge; testified she never kicked or bit the officer and acted defensively while being pepper-sprayed.
Oct 15, 2025—Released from Clark County Jail after about three nights, reunited with partner and child, charged with felony assault.
Oct 12, 2025—Pepper-sprayed twice, tackled, and arrested by federal officers after her band performed near Portland's ICE facility; transported across state lines to Clark County Jail in Washington.
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