SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s fourth night of demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd has resulted in at least eight arrests, booking records show.
Six teenagers and one man in his 20s, all from San Antonio, were arrested after people marched throughout downtown on Tuesday night. While the protest was mostly peaceful, a group came to a faceoff with police officers around 11 p.m. near Alamo Plaza.
SAPD officials confirmed Wednesday morning that an eighth person, a 27-year-old woman, was arrested for standing in a roadway.
The majority of the people taken into custody by San Antonio police were booked on charges related to evading arrest, according to booking records. Among the people arrested:
- Carlos Cabrera, 19, and Jonathan Caballero, 19, have been charged with evading arrest. Police said they were causing a disturbance during the protest, and one of them threw rocks. Booking records show Cabrera and Caballero were arrested at Alamo and La Villita.
- Jose De La Cruz, 17, and Damian Calderon, 17, have been charged with evading arrest. They ran from officers and attempted to avoid helicopter surveillance as they ran alongside a hotel, police said.
- Brian Sunblade, 24, was charged with resisting arrest. Sunblade was arrested at 400 E. Commerce after he ignored a traffic control signal and resisted officers who tried to take him into custody, police said.
- Dameion Bell, 18, was charged with engaging in a riot after he was “observed causing disturbances in the downtown area,” according to police.
- Jophrank Jaramillo, 17, charged with criminal trespassing. Police said he was among three people on a roof of a building in the 1000 block of South Presa Street.
San Antonio mayor questions police use of projectiles on protesters, media at Alamo
Alamo Plaza has been under nightly curfew after 8:30 p.m. through this week.
According to social media videos, the demonstration escalated when an organizer asked the group to put their hands up. As he has his back to police officers, officers can be seen opening fire and protestors are seen running away.
SAPD later tweeted officers opened fire with pepper balls, smoke and wooden and rubber balls because officers were “attacked with glass bottles." The department said officers were trying to disperse “unruly crowds causing damage."
Hundreds gather for fourth day of protests in San Antonio over George Floyd’s death
A San Antonio Express-News reporter tweeted to Mayor Ron Nirenberg if he was “okay with” SAPD using those types of projectiles on protestors.
Nirenberg responded: “No, I’m not.” He added that he would be “asking for more information” about the projectiles.
San Antonio is just one of dozens of cities across the globe protesting the killing of Floyd and police brutality and injustice against African Americans. On Saturday, at least six people were arrested after a peaceful protest morphed into destruction and violence.
At least six arrested as protests turn to destruction in downtown San Antonio Saturday
Tuesday night, nationwide protests were largely peaceful and the nation’s streets were calmer than they have been in days since Floyd’s death.