On Saturday – two days after a grand jury indicted former President Trump, securing his place in history as the first former US president to face criminal charges – a small group of supporters gathered in Orange County to protest the accusation.
During a gathering near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday afternoon, a group of approximately 40 people waved “Make America Great” banners and chanted “God bless Trump!” At one point, two demonstrators were hit over the head with skateboards during the clash.
Because the indictment remains sealed, the exact criminal charges are not yet clear, but the investigation presented to a New York grand jury focused on Trump’s alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the final push of her 2016 campaign.
The indictment marks just one of the potential legal problems for Trump, who has said he will seek the presidency again in 2024. He also faces investigations into his alleged involvement in 2020 election interference in his supporters and the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, as well as his handling of classified documents after he left office.
The former president’s lawyers said in a statement that their client had committed no crime and Republican allies described the Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg, whose office presented the case to the grand jury, is a far-left prosecutor working to ensure that Trump is not elected in 2024.
After he was indicted, Trump – who is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday – released a statement describing the accusation as “Political Persecution” and a “Witch-Hunt” initiated by “Radical Left Democrats.”
Some of the demonstrators on Saturday echoed such language, referring to what they called a “fake accusation” and “just a hoax.”
A few minutes after noon, two demonstrators were hit by skateboards. One of the victims – a man who led the songs – was bleeding from the head but ambulatory. One declined to give his name to a Times reporter.
Huntington Beach police initially detained two men at the scene. Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla said one person was arrested.
He said one of the victims was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and the incident is under investigation.
One of the demonstrators, who identified himself as 18-year-old Joseph Edward of Redlands, said he witnessed the attack against his fellow demonstrators and said it was unprovoked.
“It’s meant to be peaceful,” Edward said. “We don’t want it. We don’t want this to happen again.”
Times staff writers Sarah D. Wire and Arit John contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
