Donald Trump: Protesters Smash Police Car, Cause Chaos Outside Orange County Rally [Video]
Donald Trump protesters broke out in an angry chaos outside of an Orange County rally on Thursday night. At least 20 people were arrested, according to police.
The Los Angeles Times reports that hundreds of protesters lined the street outside of the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, hurling rocks, blocking in cars, and screaming profanities as Republican front-runner Donald Trump spoke to a packed crowd in the nearby amphitheater. Some of the protesters took their aggression out on police vehicles. They smashed the windows on a police cruiser and slashed the tires on a police SUV. Some of the protesters tried to flip the police cruiser while numerous others cheered them on.
Back window has been smashed out of a Costa Mesa police cruiser. Protester: "I think Donald Trump did it!" pic.twitter.com/FTj4JoiAdN
— Matt Pearce ??? (@mattdpearce) April 29, 2016
Some protesters hurled large rocks and other items at vehicles caught in the middle of the incident, although several of the cars’ owners stated they were even not attending the rally. Other protesters blocked the 55 Freeway, close to Newport Boulevard, with benches and began throwing rocks at cars at a nearby on-ramp.
Despite the massive amounts of people protesting and throwing things, Lt. Mark Stichter of the Orange County sheriff’s department said that no one was severely injured. Around 20 people, both men and women, were arrested for unlawful assembly.
Several women showed up at the protest shirtless with Bernie Sanders stickers covering their breasts. They said they were protesting Trump’s lack of focus on gender inequality issues. One of the women, Tiernan Hebron, said that Trump doesn’t seem to want to make America great again for the LGBTQ community.
“I feel like he wants to make America great again, but certainly not for women, for the LBGTQ community or for the lower class. He has, like, done nothing to help with gender equality or women’s rights or reproductive rights or anything.”
#OCSDPIO Post Trump Rally Protest over. Approx 20 arrests by Costa Mesa PD. No major injuries. Crowd dispersed by 11pm. No further updates
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) April 29, 2016
Inside the rally, the amphitheater was completely packed, leaving numerous Trump supporters left outside even after obtaining tickets to the event. Tustin resident Jan Strahl, 66, was among the many Trump supporters who obtained tickets beforehand but were unable to get into the rally, leaving them outside with the growing crowd of protesters. Both groups yelled taunts back and forth to each other. One of the Trump supporters was even punched in the face. A photographer captured a picture of the disoriented man walking away from the crowd wearing a Trump T-shirt with a bloody face.
A @realDonaldTrump supporter just got punched in the face as a scuffle broke out in the street: pic.twitter.com/3h3Fllm3V3
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) April 29, 2016
Not all protesters acted in violence. In fact, some of the people outside the rally said that the chaos was the opposite of the peaceful protest they were aiming for. Protester Daniel Lujan, 20, said he wanted the protest to remain peaceful, but he also said Trump “deserved” the backfire.
“I’m protesting because I want equal rights for everybody, and I want peaceful protest… I knew this was going to happen. It was going to be a riot. He deserves what he gets.”
Most of the protesters, who appeared to be in their late teens and early 20s, were there to show their frustration and anger over Trump’s views on immigration, which include plans to build a wall along the southern U.S. border.
California’s residents are around 40 percent Latino, and USA Today reports that Donald Trump will more than likely draw more protests as he continues to campaign throughout the state.
[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
