Arrests made in overnight protests
Jeremy McClure
UPDATED JUNE 6 - Name of a party that was arrested was omitted and another party’s name was mistakenly reported twice.
On May 31 at about 5:00 pm, a few protesters convened in front of the Sioux City Police Department. During the evening, the size of the crowd grew and it was estimated that up to 400 people were outside of the station at one point.
The protest continued past midnight and a handful of people tried to instigate more violent demonstrations. Several times, other members of the protest worked to keep things peaceful.
Officers thorough out the evening took steps to deescalate any conflict by removing themselves from areas the protesters were at.
After midnight, members of the crowd became more aggressive and attempted to provoke officers. When their attempts failed to provoke a reaction from officers, people began throwing rocks and other objects at officers and patrol cars. Rocks were also thrown at the police station causing damage to a window.
Due to the fact that the crowd was becoming more violent, it was deemed an unlawful assembly and ordered to disperse at around 3:00 am. Several people refused that order and officers moved in to disperse them. During their attempts to disperse the crowd, rocks were thrown at officers striking several officers. Officers were forced to use some O.C. powder and spray to continue dispersing the violent crowd.
The following people were arrested.
- Khatija J. Mills, 19-years-old, Sioux City, 2nd Degree Criminal Mischief
- Mauke R. Butler, 28-years-old, Sioux City, Failure to Disperse
- Dieo D. Okamba-Onolenga, 19-years-old, Sioux City, Simple Assault
- Zaire Dean, 22-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Nolan J. Warchorn, 22-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Alvreez L. James, 23-years-old, Sioux City, Assault on a Peace Officer, Eluding a Peace Officer, Fail to Disperse
- Colin t. Kochevar, 25-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Joseph R. Smith, 38-years-old, Lawton, Unlawful Assembly
- Hayley M. Gibson, 22-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Keegan A. Kinzie, 20-years-old, Sioux City, Assault on a Peace Officer, Fail to Obey a Peace Officer, Failure to Disperse, Interference with Official Acts, Possession of a Control Substance
- Aaliah R. Cruz, 18-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Jada R. Swanson, 19-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Siera Johnson, 19-years-old, Sioux City, Unlawful Assembly
- Two juveniles were also arrested for failing to obey officers’ orders to disperse.
Five officers received minor injuries when they were struck with rocks and assaulted by protesters during arrests. Numerous patrol cars were also damaged by the violent crowd.
The Sioux City Police Department supports the public’s 1st Amendment right to assembly and to protest peacefully and have demonstrated our support of people exercising this right. We are saddened that last night’s demonstration that started peacefully degraded to violence. We are thankful no one involved tonight was seriously injured. We will continue working with community groups to strengthen our relationships with members of the community and provide fair and equitable law enforcement services.