A fight broke out between supporters of President Trump and counter-demonstrators during a small rally in Long Beach on Saturday, according to police and witness accounts.
According to witnesses who spoke to the Long Beach Post, two men approached the Trump supporters and they started arguing with one other. It was unclear who initiated the physical fight, but at some point, one of the anti-Trump protesters hit the arguing Trump supporter in the face with a manual scooter, according to witness accounts given to the Long Beach Post.
Police said they responded to reports of a fight Saturday morning in the area of Pine Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach, where the California Democratic Party is holding its annual convention.
Three people were taken into custody and all three were charged with assault with a deadly weapon that was not a firearm, according to the department’s public information officer Arantxa Chavarria.
Two males were transported to a local hospital for upper body lacerations, authorities said.
“LBPD is committed to ensuring everyone’s first amendment rights, but we also want to remind you that any violence of any kind will not be tolerated in our community,” the department tweeted.
The fight occurred as nearly 5,000 California Democrats gathered for a weekend of events in Long Beach, including a Presidential Forum where the party’s 2020 presidential candidates are expected to address issues facing the Latino community.
Trump supporters clash with anti Trump supporters in a bloody brawl on Ocean Blvd at these the #CADEM2019 pic.twitter.com/nOUZAkIBpv
— Stephen Carr (@Carrphotos) November 16, 2019
KTLA’s Brian Day contributed to this report.