Oxnard police provide updates to protest along with report of vandalism arrest

OXNARD, Calif. -- Oxnard police arrested one man during the protest accused of vandalism on late Wednesday night.

At around 5 p.m. Wednesday, a group of protestors held a planned rally at Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard.

Police say a crowd estimated at around 350 people marched to the Oxnard Police Department's headquarters. The protestors took over all lanes on Oxnard Boulevard and marched to Five Points. Police say the group was peaceful. This protest ended two hours later.

Later that night, a smaller group of around 100 to 150 people began another march blocking the Third Street bridge and made their way back to the police station.

At the police station, officers say they watched a male subject vandalize the police station with spray paint. The man was identified and later arrested that night.

This late night march continue to Plaza Park. At the park, several cars droves onto the park's grass and police say their reckless driving endangered several people.

Officers responded to the incident and one of the drivers sped away, colliding with another vehicle before fleeing. Police have identified and impounded the car. Oxnard investigators are working on locating the suspect in the hit-and-run incident.

During the police response to the car incident, police say people in the crowd threw rocks and bottles at officers as they were making an arrest. Police reports that no officers were injured but police cars had damage including a broken window.

Officers say Plaza Park's lawn was torn up by the vehicles, the Oxnard Pagoda was vandalized with spray paint and spray paint vandalism were found throughout the downtown area including public and private property.

Oxnard Police Chief gave the following statement on Wednesday night's protest:

“The Oxnard Police Department’s intent is to allow demonstrators to peacefully exercise their right to free speech and assembly. We’re here to protect those rights. Our intent was not to have any confrontations with the demonstrators. Unfortunately, there was a small number of them that wanted to cause problems. We are grateful for the many community members, from many various backgrounds, that stepped forward to make sure the problems were minimized.”

Chief Scott Whitney, Oxnard Police Department

Investigators are currently reviewing evidence for additional arrests of those persons who engaged in criminal activity.

Oxnard Police Department encourages anyone with information to contact the Oxnard Police Department at 805-385-7600 or click here.