PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on protests during and after President Donald Trump’s Phoenix rally (all times local):
4:20 p.m.
The ACLU of Arizona says Phoenix police used excessive crowd-control methods after a protest turned unruly following a rally by President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
The organization is demanding an independent investigation.
Executive director Alessandra Soler said police failed to protect protesters” First Amendment rights.
Police have defending their response, saying some protesters threw tear gas and other objects at officers on the street.
The protest against Trump drew thousands and was mostly peaceful until after the rally ended and the crowds were thinning out.
That’s when a small group of men dressed all in black began throwing water bottles at police, some witnesses said.
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2:50 p.m.
Phoenix police have explained the bloody-faced jail mugshot of a man arrested at protests related to President Donald Trump’s rally.
Daireus Latravus Stokes was taken into custody Tuesday night on suspicion of aggravated assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and threatening or intimidating.
A mugshot shows Stokes with blood on and around his nose and apparent bruises and scrapes elsewhere on his face.
Police say Stokes was taken to the ground during his confrontation with officers.
They say Stokes had a loaded handgun when confronted by officers after he allegedly parked illegally.
According to a court document, Stokes elbowed police officers and broke free at one point while being arrested after one officer noticed Stokes had a gun.
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1:11 p.m.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton says he’s disappointed that a few people disrupted a peaceful protest by throwing objects at police and that he is committed to a “thorough and transparent” review by police of the events that unfolded following a rally by President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Stanton, a Democrat, said in a statement that the organizers were peaceful but that a few people threw tear gas, bottles and rocks at police, prompting officers to use pepper spray.
Community activists like Francisca Porchas of Puente Arizona say police used unnecessary force and injured innocent bystanders. Porchas said Stanton was a hypocrite for denouncing Trump’s visit yet standing by police over their actions.
Stanton says he plans on meeting with the several activist groups who organized the protests.
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1 p.m.
Police say a Phoenix man arrested at protests related to President Donald Trump’s rally had a loaded handgun when confronted by officers after he allegedly parked illegally.
Daireus Latravus Stokes was taken into custody Tuesday night on suspicion of aggravated assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and threatening or intimidating.
A jail mugshot shows Stokes with blood on and around his nose and apparent bruises and scrapes elsewhere on his face.
Police didn’t immediately respond to a query about Stokes’ condition Wednesday.
But they said in a court document that Stokes elbowed police officers and broke free at one point while being arrested after one officer noticed Stokes had a gun.
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12:43 p.m.
Arizona activists say police acted aggressively and violently during a mostly peaceful protest on Tuesday that got rowdy after a President Donald Trump rally ended in downtown Phoenix.
The immigrant and civil rights groups said during a news conference on Wednesday that they’ve filed a complaint and are seeking answers as to why police acted with such force.
Phoenix police leaders say the department appropriately used gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters after officers were struck with items thrown by some protesters.
Antonio Bustamante, a local attorney who observed the protests yesterday, said a small group of men threw water bottles at officers. He said police then fired tear gas. Bustamante denied that anyone in the crowd threw gas canisters at police.
The groups say they plan on speaking out against police actions at the next city council meeting.
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11:20 a.m.
An Arizona congressman is calling for a thorough review of circumstances surrounding police actions during protests related to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday evening rally in downtown Phoenix.
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego ’s call for “a full and transparent investigation” came after Police Department officials said officers used tear gas, smoke, pepper balls and pepper spray to disperse a crowd that remained near the Phoenix Convention Center after the rally ended.
Police Chief Jeri Williams said Tuesday night somebody had tossed gas at officers, and a Police Department statement released Wednesday by Sgt. Jonathan Howard said the police action was prompted by someone in the crowd dispersing gas first.
Gallego is also calling for the city to hold a community meeting to provide a detailed account of what happened. He says protest organizers worked hard to maintain peace and order.
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11 a.m.
A prosecutor isn’t waiting for a Phoenix Police Department review to be completed to pronounce that police officers acted appropriately in dispersing protesters after President Donald Trump’s Tuesday evening rally.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery says in a statement released by his office Wednesday that officers “swiftly and decisively dealt with small fractions of individuals who attempted isolated actions of violence” while protecting public safety and free speech for law-abiding individuals.
Montgomery notes that the Police Department’s after-action review is pending but he says “coverage” makes it clear that officers “exercised appropriate restraint and resolve” in controlling what Montgomery called a difficult situation.
Montgomery released his statement shortly before several groups were to hold a news conference to talk about Trump’s speech and what the groups’ announcement calls “police abuse” toward a peaceful protest.
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7:40 a.m.
Top Phoenix officials say the police department appropriately used gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters after some protesters allegedly threw their own gas containers at officers following President Donald Trump’s rally.
Mayor Greg Stanton says most of the people protesting against Trump did so peacefully but that a “small number” later threw objects at police after the president’s Tuesday evening rally.
Police Chief Jeri Williams says officers used appropriate force and acted successfully and professionally to disperse a crowd after gas was thrown at police.
Several groups have scheduled a Wednesday news conference to talk about Trump’s speech and what the groups’ announcement calls “police abuse” toward a peaceful protest.
Police say four people were arrested, including one for an unrelated warrant. The only reported injuries were related to heat symptoms.
7:20 a.m.
The Phoenix Fire Department treated dozens of people for heat exhaustion and dehydration in the downtown area where President Donald Trump addressed a rally of supporters.
Fire Capt. Rob McDade says 56 people were treated for heat-related symptoms in the area of the Phoenix Convention Center on Tuesday and that they included two police officers and 10 other people transported to hospitals for evaluation.
Larger numbers of people congregated in the area as they waited to attend the rally or participated in protests and other activities outside.
McDade says none of the people treated or transported were related to post-rally activities during which police used pepper spray and gas to disperse a crowd of protesters who remained in the area after the evening rally.
Phoenix’s high temperature Tuesday was 108.
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