LANCASTER, Pa. — Police say one man was arrested and is facing charges after throwing objects at officers and trying to incite others.
On Saturday, a demonstration was held in Lancaster City to protest the murder of George Floyd.
Police say the protest, which started around 11 a.m., had several hundred people in attendance and was mostly peaceful, although there were some agitators within the crowd trying to incite confrontations with Lancaster police.
Around 8:30 p.m., the size of the crowd of protesters consisted of approximately 15 people.
At this time, officials say they decided to reopen the 1st block of West Chestnut Street to vehicle traffic and moved the remaining protesters to the sidewalk.
According to police, the protesters moved traffic barricades from the police station and used them to block Chestnut Street. The protesters also allegedly kicked vehicles stopped at traffic lights.
As officers attempted to reopen the street and talk with the protesters, Eddie Gonzalez-Fox, 21, tried to incite the protesters, according to police.
Police say that while the majority of the protesters complied and move to the sidewalk, Gonzalez-Fox and another unidentified man refused to move and Gonzalez-Fox picked up a traffic barricade and threw it at two police officers.
He then fled south on North Prince Street.
At that time the protesters became agitated and police say they decided to disperse the crowd. They say that when the people refused to comply and leave the area, officers used pepper spray on them.
According to police, at the time they used the pepper spray, they were unaware of a 10-year-old child in the crowd. The child was with an adult at the time of the incident and was sitting on a curb when the pepper spray was used, police say.
The child suffered irritation from the residual pepper spray in the area and EMS was called to the scene to check on the child. Police say the child did not suffer lasting irritation and was seen running and playing after EMS checked him.
Police say it is unfortunate that the child was exposed to the pepper spray and assure that the officers did not see him when they used the pepper spray in his direction.
About 20 minutes after the initial confrontation with police, Gonzalez-Fox returned to the scene and began yelling at officers and attempted to hit them with the barricade, according to police.
Police say as more officers responded to the scene to apprehend Gonzalez-Fox, he once again fled from the scene but was shortly caught on the 100 block of West Chestnut Street.
He is now facing multiple charges including riot, two counts of simple assault, and disorderly conduct.
Police say they are working to identify a second subject involved with Gonzalez-Fox in a similar incident and will face similar charges once identified.
The Lancaster Bureau of Police pointed out that although Saturday's protest lasted nearly 10 hours and included several hundred people, Gonzalez-Fox was the only arrest made in relation to the protest.
