Phoenix police say they will investigate use of force at Trump rally

As many expressed confusion and frustration about why Phoenix police used smoke canisters, pepper spray and flash bangs on largely peaceful crowds after President Donald Trump's rally, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams stood by her officers but said the agency would investigate their actions. 

Supporters and protesters taunted each other but largely refrained from violence from early Tuesday morning until after Trump's speech ended, thanks in part to a heavy police presence. 

Attendees initially filed out of the Phoenix Convention Center peacefully, but the night took a sudden turn about 8:45 p.m. when police say a few people began throwing rocks and bottles at police and dispersing gas on Monroe Street near the Herberger Theater Center, a block from the convention center.

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Officers in riot gear swiftly began using aggressive crowd-control tactics, stunning many in the crowd who had no idea the show of non-lethal force was coming. 

A line of officers pushed the crowds north toward Van Buren Street and blocked intersections. They warned the crowd from a helicopter to leave or face arrest. 

Soon after, two people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault on police and one person was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

Only a handful of people were left in the streets by 10 p.m, no one was seriously injured and no property was damaged.

But the mood for many in downtown Phoenix was surprise and indignation.

Reyna Montoya, founder of non-profit organization Aliento, said police should have given more warning.

"I saw people who were in wheelchairs, people with babies, elderly people (hit)," she said. "It was unacceptable."

While some protesters said officers deployed their non-lethal weapons without warning or were the ones to instigate, the Phoenix police chief pushed back against that narrative, calling the event an overall success.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery issued a statement Wednesday morning along those same lines.

“Coverage of the actions of the different groups engaged in the activities last night in our Downtown area make clear that the Phoenix Police Department exercised appropriate restraint and resolve in controlling a difficult situation," Montgomery said. "While we wait to see the outcome of their after action review, I want to express the respect I have for the way they swiftly and decisively dealt with small fractions of individuals who attempted isolated acts of violence.

"For those who were law abiding, free speech was protected. For those who sought to use or promote violence, public safety was protected.”

Smoke, pepper-spray balls, 'flash bangs,' gas

There were conflicting accounts Tuesday night of what police used on crowds and when, but Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Howard said officers used progressively aggressive weapons for crowd control.

Police began with smoke, then balls of pepper spray, then escalated to stun grenades or "flash bangs," then pepper spray, then stronger gas. 

Before police made use of the smoke, Howard said, a field commander had warned officers that someone in the crowd had sprayed regular gas and instructed them to put their gas masks on. 

A long day, a well-controlled crowd 

The day began with a sense of apprehension, heightened by many offices, businesses, schools and courts downtown announcing that they would close early Tuesday. On Monday, local leaders had announced they were bracing for tens of thousands of demonstrators. 

Trump supporters lined up as early as Monday afternoon, and thousands of protesters descended by late Tuesday afternoon.

A few people walked around carrying assault rifles. A man burned an American flag in the street. People with megaphones yelled obscenities, including the N-word.

Police officers did not intervene in expressions of free speech, instead using dump trucks, metal barricades and themselves as human shields in an effort to keep opposing groups apart.

At first, rally attendees lined the east side of Second Street near Monroe Street and protesters congregated on the west side of the street. Not yet divided by barricades, people jeered at and recorded each other, but didn't fight. 

The Phoenix Fire Department treated 56 people for symptoms of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Of those, 12 were taken to the hospital, including two Phoenix police officers, according to a Phoenix Fire Department official. 

One person was arrested on an unrelated misdemeanor warrant. 

Another notable element was the many dump trucks surrounding the convention center and blocking off roads, which many took as an impromptu blockade to prevent vehicles ramming into the crowd or the center like one did during unrest earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

Chaotic end to the protests

Before Trump took the stage about 7 p.m., thousands of protesters filled the street and stood on parking garages on the north side of a barricade dividing Monroe and Second streets, while police tried to make sure only people who had registered to attend the rally stood on the south side. 

The police presence increased as Trump's speech was winding down. 

Dozens of police in riot gear formed funnels, explicitly directing Trump supporters to exit to the south while encouraging opponents to go to the north. 

They attempted to be human shields to keep the groups apart. 

After police deployed their weapons, many of the protesters dispersed. The area was largely cleared within an hour.

Community activists and faith leaders who had peacefully protested for hours were largely surprised by what they called violence without warning.

“We were standing right on Third Street and Monroe, talking about how we should get something to eat after we cleaned up,” Aliento founder Montoya said. "Then I started seeing the gas and hearing people yell, 'Run, run!' and heard the really loud noises."

Montoya ran for a block, she said, her face and eyes burning.

"We heard the (police) helicopter going around and give the first warning: 'If you don’t leave/evacuate, we’re going to pepper spray you,' " she said. "We were trying to evacuate, but it was hard to see. I was coughing. You were disoriented. People were really scared."

Kate Sanders of Phoenix said, "The protesters hadn’t thrown anything. The police started it." 

She said she carried a man who appeared to be having an asthma attack away from the area. 

"A fireman came, but he couldn’t get aid to us. And then every time we moved him to a safe place, the smoke kept billowing over and he kept reacting and reacting until he passed out.”

Police: Event a success overall

Williams said she largely considered the event a success, stressing that both community members and officers were able to get home safely.

"We had tens of thousands of people downtown, peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights," she said. "What’s unfortunate, a very small number of individuals chose criminal conduct."

Williams said her officers were responding to protesters who began to break down fencing and disperse gas at officers.

"Officers were forced then to protect themselves, to protect the community and protect property, and they did so professionally," she said.

Republic reporters Maria Polletta and Dianna M. Náñez contributed to this article.

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