16 Arrested After Protesters Block Phoenix Street: Police

Wire Service
By Wire Service
July 13, 2019US News
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16 Arrested After Protesters Block Phoenix Street: Police
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PHOENIX—Dozens of protesters blocked a downtown Phoenix street and disrupted light rail traffic outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office ahead of federal roundups expected Sunday in other cities across the country.

Police made 16 arrests Friday night after warning that people would be subject to arrest if they stayed in the street and on the light rail tracks.

Of those arrested, 14 were accused of unlawful assembly and obstructing a public thoroughfare and two were accused of aggravated assault on a police officer.

Protesters chanted against immigration detention under the Trump administration. Similar protests were held in other parts of the country.

President Donald Trump says the roundups will begin Sunday.

Roundups are not expected in Phoenix.

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Man Found Dead After Allegedly Attacked Immigration Jail

In another unrelated case, a man armed with a rifle threw incendiary devices at an immigration jail in Washington state early Saturday morning, then was found dead after four police officers arrived and opened fire, authorities said.

The Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded at about 4 a.m. to the privately-run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings.

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Map of Tacoma. (AP)

The shooting took place about six hours after a rally in front of the detention center, police spokesman Loretta Cool said. She said another rally was planned for later Saturday, but it would have to be held in a different area because of the investigation into the police shooting.

Police said the man caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire. Police said that besides the rifle, he had a satchel and flares.

Police said officers called out to the man, and shots were fired.

Cool said all four officers fired their weapons, but she didn’t have specific details of what took place. She said the officers weren’t wearing body cameras, but the area is covered by surveillance cameras from the detention center. She said she didn’t know if the man fired at the officers.

After the gunfire, officers took cover, contained the area and set up medical aid a short distance away, police said.

Officers then located the man and determined he had been shot and was dead at the scene. His name hasn’t been released.

Authorities say investigators are processing the scene and police are continuing to investigate. No law enforcement officers were injured. The four Tacoma police officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave as is standard in officer-involved shootings.

A motive for the man’s actions hasn’t been determined, Cool said.

GEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center, said in an email to The Associated Press that baseless accusations about how detainees are treated at its facilities “have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.”

GEO Group said the detention center in Tacoma has modern amenities with air conditioning, recreational activities, a bed for every individual, and medical care available at all hours.

Last year, a federal judge ruled that Washington state could pursue its lawsuit seeking to force GEO Group to pay minimum wage for work done by detainees at the detention center.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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