At least 13 people were arrested Saturday during a protest of the verdicts in the case of two former Fullerton police officers who were accused in the beating death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas, police said.
The majority of protesters were peaceful, according to Fullerton police, but authorities declared the event an unlawful assembly after demonstrators attacked a local television news crew.
“We had no choice but to step in and issue a dispersal order, declaring the protest an unlawful assembly,” Fullerton police Chief Dan Hughes said in a news release.
The arrests came after the group was given an order to disperse, according to the Fullerton Police Department’s public information officer.
Two of the arrests were related to vandalism, Sgt. Jeff Stuart said. A third involved a physical assault, according to Stuart. Ten others were arrested for failing to disperse after being ordered to do so by authorities.
About 150 people showed up to the rally in front of the Fullerton Police Department to protest the acquittals of Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli, according to the Los Angeles Times. The officers were found not guilty on all charges last Monday.