Date: November 17, 2016
Agency: Bismarck Police Department
Contact: Sgt. Mark Buschena 701-355-1874
Bismarck, ND — Law Enforcement officers in Bismarck and Mandan dealt with multiple protests today associated with the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Starting at 11:30 am approximately 130 protesters marched on the Bismarck Wells Fargo Main Office at 400 E. Broadway and blocked both sides of the street. A short time later the protesters split up. Around 90 protesters made their way to the William Guy Federal Building at 220 E. Rosser Avenue and a smaller group protested and blocked the drive thru window at Wells Fargo branch, 413 N. 5th Street. There were eight arrests today and all were booked into the Burleigh County Detention Center.
Six protesters made their way into the Federal Building and locked their arms inside the main entrance and refused to leave. They were arrested for criminal trespass. During the protest march officers recognized one person who was wanted for a California warrant and he was arrested for that warrant. The final arrest occurred on the 100 block of North 4th Street. It started when the suspect tampered with some property outside a business in that area. When police confronted him to tell him he can’t be doing that, in an attempt to start a confrontation with law enforcement he motioned other people over to assist him. Police told him he was under arrest and told him to put his hands behind his back. He resisted arrest. Police took him to the ground to control him. He was kicking and spitting at officers so a spit sock was put on his head. He had to be carried to a squad car for transport because he wouldn’t walk on his own. When he was being put into the squad car, he grabbed hold of an officer’s holstered weapon and was yanking on it. Once that happened it became a deadly force situation and officers used the reasonable amount of force necessary to get him to let go.
Once in the squad car, the suspect repeatedly banged his head into the cage. As a result of his own actions he sustained some cuts to his face. He was arrested for criminal mischief, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer/contact by bodily fluids, and attempting to disarm a police officer. He was taken to Burleigh County Detention Center after being medically cleared at a local hospital.
After protesters left the Bismarck area they did a short protest at the Morton County Law Enforcement Center and left the area. No arrests were made.
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