Trump supporters and rival demonstrators clash near site of state Democratic convention in Long Beach

A small group of President Trump’s supporters and rival demonstrators clashed with one another Saturday in Long Beach, where the state Democratic Party is holding its annual convention.

Chanting “four more years,” supporters of Trump had taken to the streets with bullhorns and placards, said Arantxa Chavarria, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department, and a fight among three men ensued. Officers intervened and “separated the combatants.”

Speaking to witnesses, the Long Beach Post reported that two men approached the Trump supporters and started arguing. While it was unclear who started the fight, an anti-Trump protester hit a Trump supporter “in the face with a manual scooter.”

The three individuals will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon that is not a firearm, Chavarria said. Two of the suspects were taken to a local hospital for lacerations.

The incident occurred at Pine Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, near the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center.

Nearly 5,000 California Democrats have gathered in Long Beach this weekend to strategize their approach to the 2020 election. The main event, billed as the Presidential Forum, will feature eight presidential candidates addressing a series of questions focusing on Latino issues.

In anticipation of possible protests, the city of Long Beach mobilized a combined command post with the police, fire and health departments.

Not long after the individuals who were involved in Saturday’s scuffle were taken away, the Trump supporters dispersed, Chavarria said.

In a tweet, the Long Beach Police Department wrote that its officers are “committed to ensuring everyone’s 1st Amendment rights” but that “any violence of any kind will not be tolerated in our community.”