8 arrested for day-long unlawful protest; 1 officer hit, tractor-trailer set on fire

CHARLOTTE — A morning protest over an international issue evolved into a violent day-long standoff in southeast Charlotte on Saturday.

Throughout the afternoon, the scene grew more violent after an officer was hit and several protestors were arrested.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers went to the 4300 block of Monroe Road around 11:30 a.m. They remained out there for 10 hours -- They say there was a crowd of nearly 200 people protesting an Eritrean cultural festival.

Protestors flooded the street, according to CMPD. Monroe Road had to be shut down between McAlway Drive and Alliance Drive while police gave orders to disperse.

Through the afternoon, CMPD updated the public through social media, stating they gave multiple orders in English and Spanish, ordering the crowd to leave.

Shortly after 3 p.m., police said protesters who remained in the area were pepper sprayed for blocking the street.

The pepper spray hit a few protesters, as well as a few officers, according to police.

“They were refusing to disperse and became increasingly more hostile towards officers,” CMPD Major Michael Ford told veteran crime reporter Glenn Counts. “They began to throw things, sticks, rocks, bottles of water.”

Counts spoke with participants who said there were two groups present.

One of those groups was those who supported the government of the tiny African nation of Eritrea. The other consisted of those who claimed the president of that nation was a brutal dictator.

“A lot of Eritreans, when they come to America, you see them in two groups: they either become law-abiding citizens who are pro-American, pro-justice, and pro-democracy, or they turn into extremists who support a dictator who are anti-American, anti-peace, anti-democracy, and anti-justice,” spokeswoman Helen. “We love our president; we love our country. We die for our country.”

Police said eight arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and two guns were seized. The protest was deemed unlawful because it took place on private property and impacted traffic, according to police.

All of the arrested people face charges for Impeding Traffic and Failure to Disperse. One woman was additionally charged with inciting a riot and Injury to Personal Property and Assault on a Government Official. Police say she had one of the guns that were taken.

Just after 8 p.m., CMPD announced firefighters had to be called in after protestors set a tractor-trailer on fire, luckily no one was hurt.

CMPD: Protesters pepper sprayed after shutting down road in southeast Charlotte

Police announced all lanes of Monroe Road had reopened just before 9:30 p.m.

This is a developing story with constant updates; check this article for developments.

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