Officers used pepper spray and made arrests during a recent protest ahead of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a string of tweets that officers deployed pepper spray and made two arrests while clearing roads that were filled with demonstrators who began to march throughout uptown Charlotte on Sunday,” according to Fox News.
Sunday was the third night in a row demonstrators have gathered to protest the convention scheduled to begin Monday evening.
More than 100 people assembled in Marshall Park before breaking off into multiple groups and marching through uptown, the Fox report said, adding that some carried umbrellas in preparation for possible tear gas deployment.
Around 10 p.m., officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said approximately 75 protesters moved barricades, construction cones, and trash cans and blocked traffic on Tryon Street, according to WCNC.
The report continued:
CMPD said a slow driving vehicle in the area was later “surrounded by demonstrators and prevented from leaving.” When officers attempted to intervene, CMPD said they were assaulted by protesters. CMPD has not released any footage of this incident at this time.
Just before midnight, officers made three arrests. Wilfred Nagbe was wanted for felony assault by strangulation. Officers recognized him and made an arrest without incident. Shortly after, Josselyn Farrior was arrested and charged with assault on an officer. Victor Richardson was arrested and charged with larceny for stealing a police bicycle. The bike has since been recovered.
The group Charlotte Uprising promoted demonstrations over the weekend, according to WBTV and the group’s Facebook page:
The police are snatching and grabbing protestors. Please continue to donate and share the jail support hotline number.9802242097
Posted by Charlotte Uprising on Sunday, August 23, 2020
The group also urged protesters to meet again at Marshall Park on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night, an event page read.
However, the U.S. Secret Service announced Monday it had arrived in Charlotte to provide security for the convention:
“Police said that there were four arrests as of 1:00 a.m. Monday in addition to the five arrested Saturday, and at least four on Friday,” according to the Fox News report.
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