Portland cop chases Antifa rioter and tackles him to street. But when leftist pulls off cop's helmet, all bets are off.

Antifa rioted in Portland yet again Monday night.

Rioters set a fire on the ground floor of the high-rise condominium where far-left Mayor Ted Wheeler lives, the Oregonian said, and — given it was the mayor's birthday — wore party hats and sang "happy tear gas to you" before the festivities began.

Here's a peek at how they helped him celebrate:

But on this 96th consecutive night of mayhem in the city, police weren't playing.

After a riot was declared, officers got to work:

Journalist Sergio Olmos noted that police soon enacted a second bull rush on rioters. And in the sequence Olmos caught on video below, one officer runs ahead of the pack, grabs an Antifa militant, and tackles him to the street.

But the black-clad leftist — flat on his back while the cop is on top of him — apparently still has a little bit of resistance in him and pulls the officer's helmet from his head.

The officer proceeds to repeatedly punch the militant:

All in all, the Oregonian said police arrested 19 people in connection with Monday night's rioting.

Eight arrestees were charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer, the paper said, adding that two were accused of carrying concealed weapons — with one of them also accused of attempted assault on a public safety officer. It isn't clear what charges, if any, the Antifa rioter who pulled off the officer's helmet faces.

More from the Oregonian:

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has said his office won't pursue demonstrators accused of interfering with police and disorderly conduct, among other charges, if the allegations don't involve "deliberate'' property damage, theft or force against another person, or threats of force.

The office also won't prosecute people on a riot accusation alone. Prosecutors will proceed with a riot case only if it includes an accompanying allegation of specific property damage or use of force, Schmidt said last month.

How did folks react to the cop's punches?

Journalist Andy Ngo posted Olmos' clip of the officer punching the Antifa rioter on his Twitter page, and reactions were mixed. In fact, it appeared that most commenters weren't happy that a police officer used such force — but still a number of others said it's been a long time coming based on three months of lawlessness and violence against police:

• "This is my favorite clip of the night," one commenter wrote.
• "I think the cop should receive the same punishment as most of these rioters: release without bail and no follow-up on the charges," another commenter quipped.
• "The feel good image of the summer," another commenter said.
• "Dude knocked the cops helmet off trying to resist, got his melon knocked a few times," another user noted. "These people have been assaulting cops for more than 3 months. DA Mike Schmidt is responsible for this. Stop the catch and release, hold these people accountable."
• "Next we will see footage of this clown calling them pussies and doing something...up to the point of slammed...then he cries 'ugh I'm not fighting you' LOL...funny how the 'bold' become the spineless..." another commenter said.