Trump protester is charged
Anaheim car detailer faces counts of vandalism and inciting a riot at the O. C. rally.
The Orange County district attorney f iled charges Monday against a 19- yearold man who was arrested during the demonstrations that turned violent after a Donald Trump rally in Costa Mesa.
Luis Fernando Alarcon, a car detailer, was charged with one felony count of vandalism causing damage of $ 400 or more and one misdemeanor count of inciting a riot, according to a criminal complaint.
Alarcon, an Anaheim resident, was demonstrating Thursday night when he and several protesters marched south on Newport Boulevard toward the entrance to the 55 Freeway. A California Highway Patrol officer in a cruiser managed to block the crowd from getting onto the freeway while a second officer responded to the area. Prosecutors say Alarcon, about 12 to 15 feet from the second officer’s vehicle, yelled an obscenity and hurled what appeared to be a rock or roof tile at the cruiser, causing damage.
The demonstrations out- side the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa blocked traffic and caused tense moments. Some protesters performed screeching burnouts in their cars or did doughnuts at intersections. Others kicked at and punched vehicles, shouting ex- pletives. Ranchera and hiphop music was blasted through the streets.
At least 17 people were arrested.
Alarcon, who pleaded not guilty, remained in Orange County jail in lieu of $ 20,000 bail, according to jail re- cords.
Trump also faced large and hostile demonstrations at a hotel in Burlingame, where he delivered a speech to the California Republican Convention on Friday.
The billionaire is leading in several polls of California Republican voters. But his outspoken comments about people in the country illegally and his advocacy for a border wall have sparked a backlash among younger Latinos.