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A man sprays Trump supporters with pepper spray during a rally in front of the Anaheim City Hall in California. Picture: Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register
FIVE people, including two little girls, were pepper-sprayed during a heated clash between Trump demonstrators in California on Tuesday.
Backers waving US flags and pro-Trump signs were met by opponents leading to a shouting match between about 50 people outside City Hall in the Orange County community.
At one point, an opponent unleashed a handheld pepper-spray device on the pro-Trump crowd.
Five people, including two girls ages eight and 11, were exposed to the eye-stinging spray, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said. Three were treated at the scene by paramedics.
The man fled, but police were looking for him, Wyatt said.
One woman wearing a red ‘Make America Great Again’ hat comforted the girls, whose faces were streaked with tears. The girls complained that their eyes and mouths hurt.
“I can feel it now, it’s pungent,†the woman, Lilia Zapatos, told KNBC-TV minutes after she was sprayed.
Trump supporters yell at anti-Trump protesters during a rally in front of the Anaheim City Hall in California. Picture: Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County RegisterSource:AP
Linda Reedy of Laguna Niguel, a member of the pro-Trump group We the People Rising, pressed an icepack to her face after being sprayed.
She told the Los Angeles Times the anti-Trump group goaded her and her friends with one man jumping on them.
“I just think they’re so out of control,†she said. “I’m so sick of the anger in this country.â€
The confrontation occurred before the City Council discussed a resolution proposed by one councilwoman condemning what it called Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
The motion said Trump’s remarks — which have been perceived as offensive to Mexican immigrants, Muslims and other groups — are contrary to Constitutional principles and don’t reflect Anaheim’s “guiding principles of inclusiveness and kindness.â€
The arguments from outside continued during the public comment period inside, but remained civil as the meeting stretched for hours into the night. Eventually the council voted three-two to take no action on the resolution.
The clash came as Trump scored a five-state East Coast sweep Tuesday to embolden his hopes of clinching the Republican presidential nomination without a battle at the convention.
A Donald Trump supporter during a rally in front of the Anaheim City Hall on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Picture: Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County RegisterSource:AP