Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he was “very disappointed” that a protest over a district attorney’s decision on Saturday to acquit two police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year resulted in at least 80 arrests on Monday.
“I have many questions about what went on that precipitated the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests,” Steinberg tweeted late Monday evening.
The mass arrests followed a march by demonstrators through East Sacramento on Monday. The demonstrators were protesting Sacramento County District Attorney Marie Schubert announcement on Saturday that Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet would not face criminal charges in the March 18 death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark. An independent review of the case found that the pair used lethal force lawfully.
As the demonstrators marched back to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, police began to disperse the crowd, but a smaller group continued to a Highway 50 overpass where the arrests were made, KCRA reported. At least five cars were reportedly keyed.
2 CALIFORNIA POLICE OFFICERS WHO SHOT UNARMED BLACK MAN WON'T FACE CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SAY
A reporter from The Sacramento Bee was apparently among the arrestees, according to the paper. Steinberg condemned the arrest of a reporter “for doing their job,” but stopped short of outright taking a side. The reporter was released.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I have many questions about what went on that precipitated the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests,” he tweeted. “I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning. No matter the reason an order to disperse was given, no member of the press should be detained for doing their job.”
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
