Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, arrested a person who illegally entered a secure area hours before the start of the Republican National Convention
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several protesters and a person who illegally entered a secure area before the start of the Republican National Convention have been arrested, convention officials and police said Monday.
RNC security officials said in a tweet that the unidentified person was arrested after entering the security perimeter outside the Charlotte Convention Center, where the convention is being held. They said the person didn’t enter an area where delegates were present or disrupt any events. They did not say when the transgression happened, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police didn’t respond to an email seeking additional information, including what charges the person is facing.
GOP officials voted to renominate President Donald Trump in a small in-person session at the convention center Monday.
Five protesters were arrested during demonstrations Sunday, city police said in a news release. More than 100 demonstrators gathered near government buildings in the evening before splitting into groups to march through uptown. Later that night, about 80 demonstrators assembled near the Westin Charlotte Hotel where delegates are staying during the convention.
Just before midnight, police said demonstrators began to move barricades, construction cones and trash cans to block roads. While protesters were marching away from the area, they surrounded a pickup truck that was trying to pass through the crowd, authorities said.
One demonstrator fell to the ground as police on bikes blocked their path and forced them back. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a tweet that officers were assaulted by demonstrators while trying to intervene.
The agency said officers deployed pepper spray after protesters refused to clear the intersection.
While there were fewer arrests than the five that were reported during demonstrations on Saturday, the department said on Twitter on Sunday that officers arrested someone they recognized with outstanding felony warrants, and a demonstrator who “interfered with officers” making the first arrest.
Five officers received treatment due to pepper spray exposure, and one of them was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening, police said in the news release.
Police also made several arrests during protests Friday night.
