Trump supporters and counter-protesters shut down traffic in Beverly Hills

Supporters of President Trump took to the streets of Beverly Hills on Saturday and faced off with a small group of counter-protesters in a skirmish that ended with one person being arrested, the latest in a series of demonstrations in the city.

Around 3 p.m., about 100 of the president’s backers gathered in a park along Santa Monica Boulevard at the iconic sign of the city’s name, Beverly Hills police Lt. Max Subin said. They were met there by a small group of counter-protesters.

As the two sides jeered and hurled insults, police shut down the park area and closed the thoroughfare to traffic when a suspicious item was discovered, Subin said. Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department later determined the item was not dangerous.

People moved a few blocks away to the intersection at Rodeo Drive, the centerpiece of the city’s luxury shopping area. When a small skirmish broke out and someone from the counter-protest group threw an object at officers, police declared the gathering unlawful and ordered people to disperse, Subin said. One person was arrested for allegedly using threatening language or behavior while interfering with police efforts to break up the crowd — a felony crime, Subin said.

Some in the group splintered off and went to protest in front of the house of Mayor Lester Friedman but remained peaceful, according to police.

No injuries were reported throughout the protests, Subin said.

Beverly Hills has come under scrutiny for the hard line it has taken with a few dozen people who were arrested for allegedly violating a city curfew at a protest against police abuses in June. Unlike the Los Angeles County district attorney and the L.A. city attorney, who announced they would not prosecute protesters arrested on these types of minor violations, attorneys for Beverly Hills have pressed ahead with the criminal charges.