A Sunday night protest in Glendale against the federal government immigration policies involved more than 1,000 people, some of whom assaulted officers, damaged property and forced employees at area …
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A Sunday night protest in Glendale involved more than 1,000 people, some of whom assaulted officers, damaged property and forced employees at area businesses to shelter in place, police said Monday.
The demonstrators started gathering about 4:50 p.m. Feb. 2 at 67th Avenue and Camelback Road to protest the federal government's immigration policies.
Authorities learned about the demonstration about a week earlier, and Glendale and Phoenix police were in place “with the purpose of ensuring the safety of protesters, commuters, nearby businesses/property and officers,” according to a Jan. 3 release from Glendale officials.
The crowd grew over several hours, and initially the demonstrators were peaceful and remained on sidewalks, police said.
That changed by 7:30 p.m., according to the release, and the intersection was taken over by protesters who lighted fireworks and behaved “unruly and defiant towards officers.”
At about 7:45, Glendale police posted a “Traffic Alert” to all social media platforms advising the public to avoid the area of 67th/Camelback for a closure in all directions due to heavy vehicle and pedestrian congestion.
Five fully marked patrol vehicles were damaged as the night progressed and one of them was taken by a person in the crowd and driven a short distance. The vehicle was recovered, but the person has not been identified.
“Many officers were victims of aggravated assault since attendees threw explosive devices, large rocks, chunks of concrete and glass bottles at officers on scene trying to maintain the peace.
“Many of the uninvolved people in the area, such as employees to neighboring businesses, had to shelter in place. Many of their vehicles suffered extensive damage as did some of the businesses,” the release stated.
In addition, a fire was set to a large storage container near one of the business complexes.
At about 10:15 p.m., Glendale Phoenix officers deployed various chemical agents to disperse the crowd and 20 minutes later the intersection was cleared, officials said.
An investigation is continuing and officials ask anyone with information to contact the Glendale Police Department at 623-930-3000 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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