8 arrested after Phoenix police declare unlawful assembly downtown

PHOENIX — A downtown Phoenix march on Sunday in memory of Michael Brown on the six-year anniversary of his death ended at police headquarters and was declared an unlawful assembly shortly after 7 p.m.

Eight arrests were made, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

The event began around 6 p.m. in downtown with a few dozen people, who walked in the direction of the police department.

Around 7 p.m., some protesters pushed down the fencing in front of the headquarters.

Police pushed the people back using riot shields and pepper spray, video from the Arizona Republic shows.

Protesters pushed down and walked past the fence in front of the Phoenix police headquarters. Police in riot gear and weapons pushed protesters back to the street. It seems Police fired into the air. Police also just fired pepper spray directly at a protester. pic.twitter.com/OBjFXijIqu

— Audrey Jensen (@Audreyj101) August 10, 2020

Video released Monday by the Phoenix Police Department showed officers from the Tactical Response Unit verbally warning protesters to disperse before making the arrests.

Protesters could also be seen seen attempting to hinder officers from carrying out the arrests.

Officers utilized pepper balls, pepper spray, a stun bag and a loud noise device to disperse the crowd, according to Sgt. Maggie Cox.

Some people remained afterward and continued yelling at the police, who stood in front of the department with their gear and riot shields.

At one point, ABC15 video shows, police forced the protesters from the sidewalk onto the street.

Phoenix police declared the protest an unlawful assembly at 7:13 p.m.

After a handful of minutes, the remainder of the crowd began to disperse and left the area of the police headquarters. Some continued chanting as they walked down the streets of downtown Phoenix.

Police slowly followed behind, some in cars, to ensure the group was leaving the area.

Before 8 p.m., the ABC15 cameras showed largely quiet streets without stragglers.

Police arrested:

• Bruce Franks – charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, unlawful assembly, criminal trespassing and solicitation of a crime.
• Richard Villa – charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, riot, resisting arrest, unlawful assembly and obstructing a thoroughfare.
• Nikolas Quinones – charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, riot and unlawful assembly.
• Jonah Ivy – charged with riot, unlawful assembly, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and hindering prosecution.
• Elizabeth Urias – charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, riot, criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly.
• William Reed – charged with unlawful assembly, hindering prosecution, criminal trespass, riot, misconduct with body armor and resisting arrest.
• Khiry Wilson – charged with riot, criminal trespass, unlawful assembly, hindering prosecution and resisting arrest.
• Niyen King – charged with riot, unlawful assembly, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and hindering prosecution.

Brown was a Black 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. 

His death and the grand jury deciding not indict the officer who shot him spawned protests and civil unrest in the city.

The case was eventually re-opened, and on July 31 St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said he would not issue charges against officer Darren Wilson and could not “prove beyond a reasonable doubt” that it was murder or manslaughter, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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