Police: Three arrested, officers injured following 'No Kings' protest at the Capitol
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department confirmed it made three arrests following the ‘No Kings’ protest at the Texas Capitol Saturday.
The department also noted three officer injuries and three cases in which officers used force on civilians.
This numbers are “preliminary” and “may change as [APD gathers] a comprehensive understanding of the events that took place.”
Arrests:
- Ravigopal, Sanjay- Obstructing Highway or Other Passageway (Class B)
- Glasse, Julien – Obstructing Highway or Other Passageway (Class B), Evading Arrest or Detention on Foot (Class A)
- Hardin, Karrington- Obstructing Highway or Other Passageway (Class B)
Use of Force:
- Pepperball used by one officer, one round for throwing objects;
- Takedown by one officer, assisting DPS on arrest;
- Takedown by two officers and assisted by one other officer to make obstructing the roadway/evading arrest
Per department protocol, this cases are all now under official review.
Officer injuries:
- One officer- Knee injury while making an arrest
- One officer- Subject pointed laser in officer’s eye. Suspect not identified and no arrest has been made
- One officer- Left hand injury while making arrest
Austin Police Association (APA) President Michael Bullock explained Saturday’s events as a much different tone than last Monday’s, which resulted in the arrest of 13 people.
“There was an organized part that happened at the Capitol. There were a lot of good interactions between the organizers and police,” he said. “But as they left the grounds, we started seeing some of the same folks that were involved in Monday’s issues try to start some of the same issues.”
Those arrested Monday faces charges ranging in severity from citations roughly equivalent to traffic tickets, to felonies. Two of those individuals had their charges dropped.
“Monday was a chaotic day,” Bullock said. “Officers were having a lot of things thrown at them, officers were dealing with some very agitated individuals who were intent on committing crime and vandalism.”
The planned protest began at the Capitol on Saturday at 5 p.m. and officers were walking around on Capitol grounds in light blue vests to interact with the community. Those officers are called “dialogue officers.” One is pictured below.
Both APD and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) joined together to safely block traffic to allow protesters to march through downtown Austin. Police added that while there was a small number of agitators, the event remained “largely peaceful.”
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis thanked officers and DPS partners. “I want to thank our Austin Police Department Officers and Texas Department of Public Safety partners for handling this event with professionalism, dedication and commitment,” Davis said in the release.
Davis also thanked the community for “keeping the evening peaceful.” Davis said, “through our coordinated efforts, we were all able to keep one another safe.”
As law enforcement prepares for the possibility of additional demonstrations in the coming days, there will be a continuous increase and visible presence of officers throughout the city.
The release reiterated APD’s support of peaceful protests, but said officers will take necessary action against agitators who engage in illegal acts that endanger public safety.
