A man on probation was arrested on Friday afternoon after allegedly agitating a crowd protesting the ICE raids in downtown Riverside and leading officers on a pursuit.
The suspect, who police described as a counter-protester, was driving circles around the demonstration in the area of Mission Inn Avenue and Orange Streets when he got into an altercation with some protesters.
It happened around 3:20 p.m., according to the Riverside Police Department, and some protesters allegedly took the man’s flag, but later threw it back. Officials did not say what kind of flag it was.
Police said the man then returned to allegedly agitate the crowd, but then, when officers approached him in the area of University Avenue and Lime Street, he took off in his vehicle. The pursuit was short-lived, however.
The suspect crashed into a telephone pole, ending the pursuit, and then ran into a nearby home.
Police said he eventually came out and surrendered to authorities, who then found out he had been on probation from another county. Officers also found a gun in his vehicle.
He now faces charges of felony evading and illegal possession of a firearm, and a spokesperson with Riverside Police said detectives are investigating whether the suspect brandished the weapon during the protest.
