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SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested Monday after police say he deployed pepper spray on people demonstrating against President Donald Trump in downtown Salt Lake City.
Michael J. Christensen, 38, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of four counts of assault, lewdness, possession of drug paraphernalia and having an open alcohol container in public.
On Monday, several hundred people held a demonstration at the state Capitol as part of the nationwide "50501 Movement," which called for 50 protests in all 50 states on President's Day against the Trump administration.
Just after 4:30 p.m., as demonstrators were marching near 400 South and State Street — which included a police escort from the Capitol to Washington Square — "Christensen allegedly started an argument with several people randomly. Christensen is accused of yelling at marchers and interfering with the event," according to a statement from Salt Lake police.
Christensen "pepper sprayed four victims during a peaceful protest when he confronted an individual for dressing up as Captain America. One of the victims stated (Christensen) had thrown an open beer can at him, and punched him in the side of his ... head. Two victims on scene had captured a recording on their phone of (Christensen) spraying people," according to a police booking affidavit.
"The motive of this alleged assault is unknown, but officers do not have any information at this time to suggest Christensen was a counter-protester or that this incident was targeted," police said.
The department acknowledges "that many of these high-profile demonstrations may occur with little or no advance notice," but police still "encourage community members to work with the department's Special Operations Division to help ensure route safety." Police also recommend protesters apply for a permit before holding any rallies.
