Protests against the selection of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States continued for a third night in Los Angeles where police arrested close to 200 people.
An estimated 185 people were arrested and one officer was injured during the hours-long demonstrations, LAPD officials said. Details on the officer’s injuries were not available but he was expected to be released from the hospital early Friday, said Officer Norma Eisenman.
The crowd halted traffic but was mostly peaceful, although some vandalized property with graffiti, hurled bottles and launched fireworks during the incidents late Thursday and early Friday. At one point, a large boom resembling that of a firecracker thundered near 2nd and Spring streets.
One person defaced a Los Angeles police cruiser, prompting officers to reach for beanbag shotguns, but a clash with demonstrators was avoided.
A man with a megaphone urged fellow demonstrators not to resort to vandalism.
“We are proud and productive people, and we’re gonna show them that,” he yelled.
The arrests were made sometime after 1 a.m., mostly for vandalism or disobedience of a lawful order, according to Sgt. Jack Richter, an LAPD spokesman.
In Portland, Oregon:
Police arrested 26 people and responded with pepper spray and rubber bullets, labeling the 1,500-strong demonstration an "unlawful assembly" and a "riot" — a class-C felony.
According to Portland police, many in the crowd were trying to stop those responsible from vandalizing property and spray-painting messages such as "Dump Trump" and "F--- Trump."
NPR, drawing on a report from the Associated Press, says that the crowd’s “unruliness” led to the police response:
Some protesters smashed windows, lit a dumpster on fire, threw objects at police and lit firecrackers, according to The Associated Press.
Police say they responded with non-lethal munitions fired into the crowd, and that 26 people were arrested. The AP has more from the scene:
"Officers began physically pushing back against the crowd that at times threw objects at them as midnight approached, arresting several people and using flash-bang devices and types of smoke or tear gas to force people to disperse.
"After several orders to leave, police said officers used "less lethal munitions," such as pepper spray and rubber projectiles. Live video footage showed officers firing what appeared to be the non-lethal items. It wasn't immediately clear if anyone was hit."
Property damage was "widespread" ...