An anti-Trump protest once again spiraled out of control Tuesday night, this time outside the presumptive Republican nominee’s rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What started as an assembly of about 1,000 peaceful demonstrators turned violent as the evening progressed and protesters reportedly broke through police barricades, lit fires, and threw plastic bottles and rocks at police officers stationed at the rally.
Some protesters waved Mexican flags and chanted, “fu*k Donald Trump,” according to Politico; others held signs calling Trump a “racist” and a “fascist,” the Washington Post reports.
Authorities used smoke to break up the crowd (protesters on the scene claim officers used tear gas, but the Albuquerque Police Department said none was used), and the number of protesters dwindled as the night drew on. In one case, an officer resorted to violence, spraying a woman with pepper spray and throwing her to the ground.
Once the rally had ended, Trump supporters were barred from exiting through the main door because of the chaos. A few tangled with protesters outside the convention center.
Police disputed initial reports of shots fired, saying the damage to the convention-center windows (one was shattered) was likely caused by a pellet gun.
According to the New York Times, only protesters inside the rally were apprehended by security. The Albuquerque Police Department confirmed that at least one arrest was made and that several of its officers are being treated for injuries “as a result of being hit by rocks.”
For his part, Trump called the rally “great.”
