At approximately 11:50 am law enforcement began an operation to remove the protester roadblocks on Hwy 1806 as well as to remove individuals from private property in the area of the North Camp. A group of law enforcement officers approached the protester roadblock on Hwy 1806 north of the North Camp and repeatedly and consistently gave notice that protesters needed to clear the highway and private property and to go to the south and if they did so they would not be arrested.Law enforcement was met with resistance and protesters lit materials at this blockade on fire. A fire truck was brought forward to extinguish this fire. At approximately the same time, another group of law enforcement moving in from the west approached the protester roadblock on the bridge at Co Rd 134 west of Hwy 1806. Law enforcement at this location encountered protesters who started the blockade materials on the bridge on fire at approximately 12:30 pm. At approximately 12:40 pm, the protesters on Hwy 1806 had retreated to their second blockade on Hwy 1806. The protesters at the Co Rd 134 bridge continued to add materials to the fire on the bridge and a fire truck was sent to this location as well to extinguish the fire. At approximately 2:00 pm, a group of protesters entered the property on the west of Hwy 1806 and went to the archeological site on the pipeline right of way. Law enforcement on Hwy 1806 continued to push the protesters south and reached the area of the North Camp. Law enforcement began to check the tents and other structures at the North Camp and located 3 protesters that were locked down to something buried in the ground in one of the structures. A law enforcement cut team removed these protesters. While law enforcement was clearing the private property at the North Camp, protesters chained themselves to a vehicle parked in the middle of Hwy 1806, erected teepee poles in the middle of the highway, and placed a number of large logs in the middle of the highway. Law enforcement continued to clear the North Camp and move protesters south on Hwy 1806. At approximately 4:15 pm, law enforcement had protesters cleared from the North Camp area. While the North Camp was being cleared, protesters on horseback were chasing a large herd of buffalo in the area attempting to stampede them towards law enforcement. The helicopter and airplane assisting in the operation took action to herd the buffalo away from law enforcement. Some of the protesters on horseback were eventually arrested by law enforcement officers who responded on ATV’s. Law enforcement continued to address the situation at the Co Rd 134 bridge and fires continued on the bridge to include protesters setting fire to vehicles on or near the bridge. At approximately 4:50 pm, protesters started DAPL construction equipment on fire that was parked northeast of the North Camp. Law enforcement continued to move the protesters south on Hwy 1806. At approximately 5:20 pm, the NDHP pilot reported observing an altercation between subjects in the area of the Backwater Bridge on Hwy 1806 involving a firearm. Law enforcement officers were unable to respond to the area as they were still blocked by protesters on Hwy 1806 and Co Rd 134. BIA officers responded. This altercation was between a subject who is an employee of a security company and members of the protest group. The security person with the gun was taken into custody by BIA and subsequently turned over to Morton Co law enforcement. At approximately 5:55 pm, law enforcement arrested a protester on Hwy 1806 who drew a handgun and fired shots towards officers. The subject was taken into custody. Law enforcement officers were not seriously injured. Law enforcement at the bridge on Co Rd 134 continued to experience fires set on the bridge and Co Rd 134 as they attempted to move east on Co Rd 134 to reach Hwy 1806. Law enforcement was slowly able to move eastward as they extinguished fires and used heavy equipment to remove debris and vehicles from the roadway. At approximately 7:00 pm, the law enforcement groups on Hwy 1806 and Co Rd 134 met at the intersection of Hwy 1806/Co Rd 134. As law enforcement began to move south on Hwy 1806 they encountered protesters at the Backwater Bridge on Hwy 1806 who had placed debris on Hwy 1806 near the bridge to create a barricade and the protesters set a fire in the middle of the highway by the bridge. Law enforcement began to move forward towards the bridge and protesters threw Molotov cocktails and rocks towards law enforcement. Law enforcement moved back out of range of the thrown objects and maintained a position on Hwy 1806 just north of the bridge. Attempts were made to extinguish the fires but fire trucks were not able to safely approach to a distance that would allow them to fight the fire. Law enforcement positioned 2 large trucks on Hwy 1806 on the north end of the bridge to form a barricade. Protesters set the trucks on fire. Law enforcement maintained a presence at the bridge throughout the night. Approximately 141 individuals were arrested for various criminal violations throughout the course of the law enforcement operation and were transported to Morton Co Jail for processing.
