Six arrested during weekend protest by California Capitol, Sacramento police say

The Sacramento Police Department made six arrests during a Saturday protest that saw violent clashes between groups with divergent political agendas.

As in the past six weekends, supporters of President Donald Trump flocked to the California Capitol on Saturday to rally behind the Republican as he continues to fight in court to overturn the results of the November election, which show he lost to Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential race.

The demonstrations have brought out far-right groups such as the Proud Boys along with left-wing counter-protesters and anti-fascist activists. The groups have faced off, engaging in street skirmishes and harassing each other over police barricades.

During Saturday’s protest, police indicated that a group of about 50 black-clad demonstrators pulled metal poles from a construction site and marched toward Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, where the two opposing sides coalesced.

At that point, police declared an unlawful assembly and began making arrests. All told, six people were arrested, police said. Two were suspected of felonious assault against officers while two others were taken into custody on outstanding arrest warrants. Two more were found to be in violation of their parole or probation due to weapons offenses.

The department maintained a heavy presence in the downtown area during the demonstration. According to police, more than 160 officers were deployed to manage the demonstration. Five of those officers suffered minor injuries.

According to police, nobody has come forward to report an assault from the demonstration, despite numerous violent clashes caught on camera and posted to social media.

This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 1:42 PM.