Police in Denver on Wednesday released the names and mugshots of four men arrested on Tuesday night during
Brendon Thompson, 26, John Thompson, 19, Sergio Juarez, 33, and Kaelon Champion, 20, were all arrested on suspicion of obstruction of a roadway and interference, police said.
About 300 protesters marched in downtown Denver on Tuesday evening, joining in national demonstrations in the wake of a Ferguson, Mo., grand jury’s decision not to indict police Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.
After brief speeches near the Capitol, the protesters, some of whom carried lit candles, walked into the middle of Broadway. From there, the group cut a wide swath, at times touching 17th Street, California Street, the 16th Street Mall, Stout Street then the Colorado Convention Center before eventually reaching the Denver Detention Center. All along the walk, Denver police tried their best to hold back traffic from the marchers.
Although there were no obvious signs of discord, things did get a bit tense when three armed sheriff’s deputies, perhaps disquieted by the size of the gathering, stood on alert just inside the front doors of the jail.
Organizers had planned for the march to conclude at the jail, but a large group continued the protest, moving moved west on West Colfax Avenue and blocking the viaduct over Interstate 25.
Police formed a line to prevent protesters from moving onto the interstate about 8:10 p.m.
Most of the crowd then dispersed peacefully. But, police said, four people who refused to leave and grabbed at officers were arrested as police used handheld pepper-spray dispensers.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
