COLUMBUS – After several days of tension, police and protesters squared off again in downtown Columbus Sunday.
One person who threw a rental scooter at an officer was arrested, police spokesman Sgt. James Fuqua said.
Following reports of shots fired, streets blocked and COTA buses surrounded over the previous nights, officers used pepper spray to clear the intersection of Broad and High streets Sunday afternoon, Fuqua said.
“We absolutely used maximum restraint in using pepper spray as our last resort,” Fuqua told reporters.
Mayor Andrew Ginther, who had criticized police earlier for overreacting to demonstrations, tweeted Sunday that “as police tried to clear streets, they were met with violence from some and took action, including using mace and pepper spray as appropriate to keep crowds in sidewalks.”
I will reiterate again that we respect and encourage peaceful protest, but aggressive acts that put police and protesters in danger cannot be tolerated.
— Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) June 21, 2020
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who was pepper sprayed during demonstrations last month, said police again reacted too violently to what she called peaceful protests.
Protester Dejuan Sharp said rallies have been peaceful and there was no reason for the police action.
Fuqua said police had responded to various reports of shots being fired, streets blocked and COTA buses surrounded over the previous several nights and tried to convince the protesters to clear the streets Sunday.
Earlier today near the Ohio Statehouse, individuals prevented fire personnel from extinguishing this fire in the roadway. In addition, two vehicles drag racing caused an injury crash, and five shots were fired from a vehicle towards a crowd of people including troopers.
— OSHP_CentralOhio (@OSHP_CentralOH) June 20, 2020
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, which guards the Statehouse, tweeted Saturday that individuals prevented fire personnel from extinguishing a fire in the roadway, vehicles drag racing caused an injury crash and five shots were fired from a vehicle towards a crowd of people including troopers.
Demonstrators have been marching downtown since May 28, protesting the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
Most recent protests had been uneventful.