LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A man suspected of shattering the window of a business in Hollywood and vandalizing the establishment, before re-joining demonstrators in protest of the beating death of a 29-year-old Black man by five Memphis police officers, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, authorities said Sunday.
The demonstrators began to gather about 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1500 block of Vine Street, near Sunset Boulevard, walking in the street, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
About 8:15 p.m. Ezequiel Riesgo, 22, dressed in all-black clothing with a gray backpack, allegedly used a tool in his hand to shatter the window of a business in the 1500 block of Cahuenga Boulevard, near Sunset Boulevard.
“After vandalizing the business, Riesgo continued to march with the group,” according to a news statement. “In the 1600 block of Vine Street, Riesgo used spray paint to vandalize the wall of a business.”
Riesgo was arrested by officers at the end of the march and taken to the LAPD’s Hollywood Station. Bail for Riesgo was set at $20,000.
Saturday’s Hollywood demonstration was one of three others — including downtown Los Angeles and West Los Angeles — that were largely peaceful as protests continued in response to the beating death of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers, authorities said.
“A small group has gathered in Downtown Los Angeles. The flow of traffic has not been affected,” the department tweeted at 11:23 a.m. Saturday. “The Los Angeles Police Department remains committed to ensuring all can exercise their 1st Amendment Right.”
The LAPD later tweeted at 12:15 p.m. that “another small group” had gathered in the Hollywood area.
Shortly before 2 p.m., police said the group in downtown Los Angeles “peacefully exercised their 1st Amendment Right and dispersed shortly after. Continue to monitor for updates.”
Saturday afternoon, about 200 demonstrators began walking westbound on Wilshire Boulevard from Sepulveda Boulevard in West Los Angeles.
Traffic in Hollywood was impacted about 8:30 p.m. Saturday when a group of protesters marched from Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street to the area of Cahuenga and Hollywood boulevards and back to Sunset and Vine.
The protests are set to continue Sunday when Black Lives Matter LA holds a rally at Lincoln and Venice boulevards to advocate for an end to traffic stops by police officers.
The intersection of Lincoln and Venice is where Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old English teacher, was repeatedly shot with a Taser by a Los Angeles Police Department officer following a traffic collision Jan. 3 and later died after suffering cardiac arrest.