A protester in North Carolina faced immediate consequences after allegedly pouring a drink on a police officer during an anti-ICE demonstration in Kannapolis.
Emily Cervantes Ramos, 18, was swiftly tackled and taken into custody after she appeared to hit a police officer on the head during the protest on Friday afternoon.
She was part of a group of around 75 individuals protesting against ICE operations in Charlotte, with many of them being students from A.L. Brown High School who had walked out of class to participate, as reported by WCNC Charlotte.
It is not clear if Ramos was a student herself, but the protest started peacefully, with police only arriving as a precautionary measure.
However, tensions rose as demonstrators accused a police officer of taking photos of them, leading to a confrontation.
One individual yelled insults at the officer before Ramos allegedly poured a drink over his head.
She then fled, prompting the officer and the crowd to give chase.
Ramos was charged with assault on a government official and resisting arrest.
Following her arrest, a GoFundMe campaign was started to support Ramos’ family, focusing on the arrest rather than the drink-throwing incident.
However, the fundraiser has since been removed.
The Kannapolis Police Department defended the arrest, emphasizing the importance of upholding the law to protect the city and its residents.
Police Chief Terry Spry stated, “We believe in every individual’s First Amendment rights, but if any person’s actions become illegal in situations such as these, we have no choice but to take appropriate action in order to protect the people and property of our city,” as reported by WCNC.
