SALT LAKE CITY — What appeared be a crowd of over one thousand people gathered in downtown Salt Lake City on Thursday night to protest the immigration policies of the Trump administration.
Police said the "emergency protest" at Washington Square Park remained relatively peaceful as the crowd listened to speakers denouncing ICE raids across the country before beginning a march through downtown.
According to police, about 600 people participated in the event, although that estimate appeared to be on the lower end.
Just after 7 p.m., the protesters headed north on State Street, with the only incident being a couple of people jumping onto a Tesla Cybertruck and punctured one of its tires. Reporters also saw a fight break out among a crowd on the corner of State Street and 400 South around 9 p.m.
Police said they will investigate the Tesla damage before deciding whether to pursue any charges against those who were seen vandalizing the vehicle.
The crowd continued to march through downtown before eventually returning to the park and, for the most part, dispersing.
However, with the event winding down at around 8:15 p.m., Salt Lake City Police officers in riot gear arrived at State Street near 400 South and began to draw attention before they left 30 minutes later.
It's not known why the officers suddenly appeared or why they were attired in riot gear.
No curfew has been enacted, a Salt Lake City Police spokesman said.
Earlier Thursday, Salt Lake City courts allowed some employees to leave early due to the protest at the nearby park.
Chris Palmer, the director of court security for Utah State Courts, said they made the recommendation to supervisors to allow employees to leave at 3 p.m.
Out of an abundance of caution, non-essential employees at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City and the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, where a protest is scheduled on Friday, are being told to stay home.
Law enforcement preparing for protests in Utah this weekend:
Despite the reduction in staff, court operations remained normal for the remainder of Thursday and will be that way on Friday as well.
Over a dozen anti-immigration policy protests are planned for locations across Utah and the country on Saturday.
