A California man was arrested after authorities say he unloaded bear repellent into a crowd of anti-Trump protesters during a scuffle.
David Dempsey, 32, was charged with use of a tear gas weapon, assault with a caustic chemical, and violating parole.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. at the Santa Monica Pier, after a group demonstrating against the Trump administration walked from the beach to the pier, Santa Monica Police Sgt. D. Hicks told the Los Angeles Times.
When the protesters arrived at the pier, they were met by supporters of President Trump. Video shows the two groups exchanging insults and taunts before Hicks said, “Everything went to crap.”
The two groups began pushing and shoving each other. Amid the feud, Dempsey, wearing a backwards “Make America Great Again” hat, allegedly pulled the potent repellent from his pants and sprayed a number of the anti-Trump demonstrators. The crowd could be heard screaming, with some yelling, “Help!”
[Read more: ‘Lock him up’: Protesters burn MAGA hats, throw urine outside Trump rally]
Dempsey, who was convicted of burglary in 2006 and 2009, was quickly detained by police and booked on the charges. He has an extensive criminal record and, as a convicted felon, isn’t legally allowed to possess pepper spray.
Police are looking into the possibility that a second person sprayed an irritant during the scuffle.
The National Parks Service describes bear spray as a deterrent to “stop aggressive behavior in bears.” The spray uses a “fine cloud of Capsicum derivatives to temporarily reduce a bear’s ability to breath, see, and smell.”
Dempsey is being held without bail pending an initial court appearance on Tuesday.
