The Los Angeles Police Department said a protester was arrested after spraying a chemical agent on two officers outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
The incident happened early Saturday morning when LAPD officers trying to clear debris from the roadway were surrounded by protesters, the department said on Twitter.
The detention center has been the center of ongoing protests against federal immigration authorities and the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. There are more than 60,000 immigrant detainees in federal detention centers, according to federal government data.
In an effort to calm the situation early Saturday, the department said officers got into their vehicles and began to drive away when a protester “reached in and sprayed a chemical agent, nearly causing a traffic collision.”
According to social media posts, officers were able to safely leave the area and call an ambulance.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department could not immediately say whether fire paramedics responded to assist police officers.
The LAPD said both officers were treated and released, and the protester was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
An LAPD spokesperson had no further details about the arrest or the name of the person in custody.
