35 Arrested at Donald Trump Rally in San Diego
After arguments between Trump supporters and event protesters became physical, police arrived in riot gear and used pepper spray on the chaotic crowd.A Donald Trump rally in San Diego on Friday led to 35 arrests following clashes between protesters and Trump supporters. USA Today reports:
Three hours into the calm protests, which drew up to 1,000 people, a number of demonstrators tried to breach an off-limits area, resulting in arrests, the police department said on Twitter. …
Then shouting matches erupted between protesters and Trump supporters as rallygoers left the center around 4 p.m. local time. The two sides began throwing trash at each other, and officers showed up in riot gear to push them apart, AP reported.
Multiple witnesses took to social media to document the police intervention:
Cops using tear gas and pepper spray, pushing protestors south. pic.twitter.com/TNOso0ZsHx
— AM 760 KFMB (@760kfmb) May 28, 2016
Police in full riot gear telling demonstrators to move. Post Donald Trump Rally in San Diego. pic.twitter.com/uAw7ErgI5C
— Luis Cruz (@NewsCruz) May 28, 2016
An aerial view of the chaos outside the Donald Trump rally in San Diego #SDTrumpRally https://t.co/M5xkVAZU4d – @GeoffRBennett
— Shawn McKenzie (@SMcK17) May 28, 2016
According to Trump’s own estimates, 25,000 people turned out for the rally. He also had this to say on Twitter:
.@SanDiegoPD– Fantastic job on handling the thugs who tried to disrupt our very peaceful and well attended rally. Greatly appreciated!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2016
As the BBC notes, “San Diego’s population is about one-third Latino and hundreds of thousands of people cross the border with Mexico legally each day.” Considering Trump’s position on immigration and the Mexican border, it is unsurprising that protesters would turn out for his San Diego rally.
USA Today added that protesters planned to appear at Trump’s rally in Fresno, “which has a large Latino population,” later that day. While it appears that hundreds did show up to protest the event, police dispersed the crowd without any serious altercations.
Most protesters have cleared, 50-75 people left. pic.twitter.com/6ewh8QaDyl
— BoNhia Lee (@bonhialee) May 27, 2016
Trump is campaigning throughout California in anticipation of the state’s June 7 primary. The San Diego rally is not the first time a Trump event has turned violent.
—Posted by Emma Niles
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