Charlotte, North Carolina Local News
Police use pepper spray on ‘unlawful’ protesters at cultural festival in Charlotte
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Charlotte police deployed pepper spray to disperse 200 people at an “unlawful” protest at a cultural festival on private property off Monroe Road on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
WSOC
Police closed a major Charlotte road on Saturday and deployed pepper spray on a crowd at what officers called an “unlawful” civil rights protest at a cultural festival on private property.
They did not identify the cultural festival.
“The pepper spray hit a few protesters as well as a few officers who are being treated on scene,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said just after 3:30 p.m. on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Police said they arrested seven people. Three men were charged with impeding traffic, and a woman was charged with impeding traffic and inciting to riot, according to CMPD.
At 6:18 p.m., CMPD said the woman arrested in the incident also faces a charge of assault on a government official after she was accused of hitting an officer.
Police said they seized a firearm from the woman protester.
Three more protesters also were arrested, and police seized a second firearm, CMPD said Saturday night.
“Officers had given dispersal orders for nearly an hour prior to deploying the pepper spray,” according to CMPD.
Police deployed the pepper spray “to get protesters who were blocking the street out of Monroe Road,” CMPD said on Twitter.
“This protest is on private property and was declared unlawful,” police said.
Monroe Road remained shut down between McAlway Drive and Alliance Drive as CMPD monitored the protest, police said at 3:17 p.m. on X. “Dispersal orders have been given and any protesters remaining are subject to arrest.”
Just after 5 p.m., CMPD said the inbound lanes of Monroe Road had reopened.
“The gathering is still ongoing,” police said on X. “Please continue to avoid the area.”
Protesters told WSOC that two groups showed up at the scene: One group supported the government of Eritrea, bordered by the Red Sea on the Horn of Africa.
The other group claimed the president of the country is a brutal dictator, according to the station.
Monroe Road remained closed at 7 p.m.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published February 17, 2024, 4:34 PM.
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