Fifty Portland police officers quit crowd-control unit after colleague indicted in summer riots

A group of roughly 50 Portland, Oregon, police officers who served voluntarily as a special crowd-control unit have stepped down after a colleague was indicted for assault in connection with the summer riots.

The resignations announced Thursday by the Portland Police Department Thursday follower Officer Corey Budworth being indicted a day earlier on a misdemeanor charge for allegedly physically assaulting a photojournalist during protests that erupted in August, according to The New York Times.

The officers formally resigned Wednesday, just hours after the indictment was issued against Budworth.

The officers' union derided the indictment calling it a "politically driven charging decision" against an officer who "worked to restore order during a chaotic night of burning and destruction in Portland."