One person was shot Saturday in Olympia, Washington, and six people were arrested in Washington, D.C., as demonstrators clashed with counterprotesters over the presidential election, racial injustice and pandemic restrictions.
A suspect was detained in the shooting, said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Darren Wright, who indicated that pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators clashed in and around the Capital Campus area, and that some protesters seemed prepared for violence.
“Both sides have heavily armed individuals in the groups,” he said. “We’ve had sporadic confrontations throughout the day.”
Demonstrators in the state capital included Trump supporters, Black Lives Matter activists and people opposed to pandemic restrictions.
Wright said authorities declared an unlawful assembly, leading many protesters to disperse.
In the nation’s capital, Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested a half-dozen people as “March For Trump” protesters clashed with counterdemonstrators. Pro-Trump marchers chanted, “Four more years” and, “We want Trump.”
Former national security advisor Michael Flynn and Infowars host Alex Jones spoke at the event. Video posted on social media appeared to show people wearing the insignia and black and yellow colors of Proud Boys, a group the FBI has linked to white nationalism.
Marine One, the designation given to a military helicopter when the president is onboard, flew over the protests, according to a tweet by White House social media director Dan Scavino.
Trump tweeted a video of demonstrators singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Video verified by NBC News depicts demonstrators in dark clothing and wearing helmets attacking a man a few blocks from Lafayette Square.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
