Beverly Hills Police Declare Unlawful Assembly During Trump Supporter Rally
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) - Officers declared an unlawful assembly at a gathering at North Canon Drive and North Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, where about 100 people were protesting Wednesday night.
A Beverly Hills Police Department sergeant said there was a "minor physical altercation" at the demonstration, which police are investigating. The crowd was told to disperse.
An unlawful assembly has been declared & the westbound lane on N. SM Blvd. at Crescent Dr. is temporarily closed. https://t.co/pFJ2VhzBhm
— Beverly Hills Police (@BeverlyHillsPD) January 7, 2021
Video of the scene shows many people gathered closely together, some without masks and many holding flags supporting President Donald Trump.
The rally began about 3 p.m. and was declared by police an unlawful assembly about 5:30 p.m. after a fight broke out, Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Dominick Rivetti said in a video posted on Twitter.
"I just want to assure everybody that lives, works and visits in Beverly Hills, that this police department will do everything in its power to keep the peace and protect all of you," Rivetti said.
The demonstration comes after a mob of Trump supporters overran the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. Wednesday and sent members of Congress fleeing during the Electoral College vote ratification.
Earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly near City Hall after multiple fights erupted as dozens of supporters of Trump rallied.
Former President Barack Obama said in a statement posted to Twitter that history would "remember today's violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election."
Here's my statement on today's violence at the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/jLCKo2D1Ya
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 7, 2021
Local representatives from Orange County and Los Angeles County were in the building during the storm.
Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, was on the House floor and described the chaos when security advised the congressional members to take cover.
"They said everybody get out, we're about to use tear gas, there are tear gas masks under your seats," Correa said. "I never knew we had tear gas masks under our desks, but I looked and there was a package. We grabbed one and we're walking around with it. You could smell (the tear gas)."
Police said no arrests have been made in the Beverly Hills incident so far.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)