College Security Head Fired for Helping Catch Leftist Violent Criminal Gets Last Laugh

A fired college official has no regrets in getting an alumnus arrested in Oregon after the suspect pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer on Wednesday, the former employee told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Portland’s Reed College removed Gary Granger as head of security in 2025 for helping the FBI identify Robert Hoopes, a 2023 graduate who hurled a rock at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during a June riot. Hoopes’ Wednesday confession to prosecutors vindicates Granger’s actions despite the repercussions, he says.

“I was publicly cancelled and fired without severance for being ethical,” said Granger, who held his campus role for 15 years. “I do [not] regret having acted in the interest of the victim and the community.”

Reed College’s media team did not respond to a request for comment. The school took issue with Granger voluntarily handing the FBI Hoopes’ address, phone number and full name without requiring a warrant or other forms of authorization, the DCNF previously reported. A termination letter obtained by the DCNF explained that Granger’s actions displeased those whom “the College relies upon for funding.”

Authorities captured Hoopes about six weeks after he gathered with other protesters at Portland’s ICE building, threw a rock that left a scar over an officer’s eye and used a stop sign as a “makeshift battering ram” on the building’s entrance, according to a Wednesday Department of Justice (DOJ) statement and court records. Hoopes also wore a gas mask that hid his face during the riot, according to the FBI. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury, a felony.

“Doing the right thing is seldom easy,” Granger told the DCNF. “Hoopes’ actions harmed many people and the conviction does not undo the harm.”

Hoopes faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine and three years of supervised release, the DOJ said. He has agreed to pay restitution estimated at more than $7,000.

Protesters have repeatedly targeted Portland’s ICE building since President Donald Trump returned to office, leading to dozens of arrests. A handful of defendants faced charges in Oregon prior to their protest-related arrests, the DCNF previously reported.