Unlawful Assembly Declared During Wednesday Beverly Hills Protest

Beverly Hills CA

07 January, 2021

12:00 PM

Description

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Authorities in Beverly Hills on Wednesday dispersed an unlawful assembly after a fight broke out among demonstrators. In a video posted to Twitter, Beverly Hills police chief Dominick Rivetti said the demonstration began around 3 p.m. in the city. Although the majority of the gathering was peaceful, Rivetti said a fight broke out between participants around 5:30 p.m. "That was done in a peaceful manner, and I want to assure everybody who lives, works and visits Beverly Hills that this police department will do everything in its power to keep the peace and protect all of you," Rivetti said in the video. The unlawful assembly declaration led to the westbound lane of N Santa Monica Blvd. at Crescent Dr. being temporarily closed. The demonstration in Beverly Hills was reportedly organized by the Beverly Hills Freedom Rally, KTLA reports. Rivetti said he knew the event was planned and brought in extra officers to patrol the area and offer crowd control. Videos posted from the demonstration by freelance journalist and Twitter user Pierce Singgih show demonstrators chanting "Stop the Steal" Police were seen in subsequent videos ordering the crowd to disperse. WATCH: A message from the Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti. pic.twitter.com/oCXbUtq7iL— Beverly Hills Police (@BeverlyHillsPD) January 7, 2021 Protesters also gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday to protest the certification of election results. Organizers said 15 "patriotic organizations" joined the demonstration "to demand the integrity and justice of the Nov. 3 election." Like in Beverly Hills, the gathering in Los Angeles was declared to be an unlawful assembly after skirmishes broke out around 12:30 p.m. on Spring St. Police told Patch on Wednesday at least four people were arrested in the incident. The demonstrations in California began after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in protest of the certification of election results. The mob fought with police, pushed their way inside the Capitol and temporarily halted the certification of Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. During the incident, members of Congress were evacuated, a California woman was shot to death and Metro D.C. police made 69 arrests. No arrests were made during the Beverly Hills demonstration, poilce said.