Protesters in Santa Ana throw fireworks and explosives at police, officers declare an unlawful assembly
Santa Ana #SantaAna
With the smell of gun powder thick in the air, several hundred protesters threw fireworks and other explosives Saturday night at police while marching in Santa Ana, walking into traffic and shouting “black lives matter” in remembrance of George Floyd.
Some in the crowd at Bristol Street and Wilshire Avenue begged the rowdy demonstrators about 8:30 p.m. to stop hurling the explosives, saying, “what are you accomplishing?”
Michelle Usher stood in front of the officers shouting, “Stop throwing things at these men! Nobody should get hurt here tonight. This is my city!”
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A man in the crowd who declined to give his name added that he worries for law officers and protesters, adding he hopes no one gets hurt.
Despite the repeated pleas from people in the crowd to be peaceful, the fireworks continued. Some protesters knelt before the police shouting, “George Floyd,” the man who died after a Minneapolis police officer jammed a knee into his throat.
A loudspeaker atop a police truck warned protesters they had 15 minutes to disperse and that force could be used on them.
Protesters standing less than 4 feet away from police continued to demonstrate, despite the declaration of an unlawful assembly. Officers began at 8:50 p.m. slowly pushing demonstrators onto the curb and away from the road.
At 9:15 p.m., police lobbed flash bangs at the crowd, pushing them back.
Some tear gas shot by police ended up in the eye of Raquel Cardenas, 18.
“It hurts, but I’m going to stay here to stand up for what’s right,” Cardenas said. Moments later her friend was pushed by a rioter into a trashcan, knocked down for telling someone to stop throwing things. Other protesters helped him up.
Ty Moses Ramirez, 18, was shot in the right ankle with a rubber police bullet. “I can handle the pain,” Ramirez said. “It happened 30 minutes ago and I’m still out here protesting.”
A man in Santa Ana on Saturday night pushes a cart full of burning paper toward police, who responded by firing pepper balls. (Eric Licas/Southern California News Group)
As the demonstration continued, some protesters threw rocks at officers while the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was called in to assist.
One deputy was taken to an area hospital with a lower extremity injury sustained Saturday night, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun.
As the unrest continued late Saturday, vandalism and some looting was reported. Smart & Final and AutoZone were among the businesses targeted, Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
A potential curfew in the city was being discussed by city leaders, Bertagna said.
Bertagna said Santa Ana officers, aided by sheriff’s deputies and officers from departments around the county, were able to divide the protest crowd into smaller, more manageable groups, he said.
A second group of about 100 went to Santa Ana Police Headquarters but were met by officers and turned away.
“Several arrests” were made, Bertagna said. Exact numbers will be available later Sunday.
City News Service contributed to this story.