Two arrested at No Kings protest appear in court

An 18-year-old woman accused of ripping a Trump flag away from a man and the 32-year-old man who police say jumped on a detective trying to arrest the teen Saturday at a “No Kings” protest near downtown Spokane made their first appearances Tuesday in Spokane County Superior Court.

Lillian E. Cantu is facing a felony first-degree theft charge, while Christopher E. Hutto is charged with third-degree assault.

A judge released both defendants from jail on their own recognizance over the weekend, Court Commissioner Tami Chavez said Tuesday. Chavez maintained that ruling during Tuesday’s court hearings. Both are set for arraignments Thursday.

Protesters gathered near the Riverfront Park Rotary Fountain in downtown Spokane and B.A. Clark Park in north Spokane to denounce President Donald Trump and his policies. The protests, called “No Kings,” were among many across the country.

Both Spokane protests were peaceful until the two protesters were arrested.

One group of protesters broke off from the rally near the Rotary Fountain and marched to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building just north of Riverfront Park. The group stood outside the building on Cataldo Avenue, near Washington Street, and denounced ICE with chants.

One Spokane police officer was monitoring the protesters outside the ICE facility, according to court documents. A counterprotester draped with a blue Trump flag walked through the crowd of protesters when Cantu, who had a megaphone and wore a face covering, approached the man from behind and ripped the flag off the man’s shoulders, police wrote.

Cantu walked away with the flag and hid behind protesters.

The man reported the alleged theft to police and said he was also struck in the upper back area when the incident occurred.

A detective wrote he and other officers tried to arrest Cantu, but she resisted, court records show. The detective said Hutto knocked him down while he was trying to arrest Cantu. Hutto stayed on top of him before he was able to get out from underneath and handcuffed him with the help of another officer.

The officer who helped arrest Hutto reported that Hutto jumped on the detective, knocking him away from Cantu. He pushed Hutto off the detective and arrested him.

Officers pinned the two suspects to the grass along Washington Street near Cataldo Avenue, according to Spokesman-Review cellphone video. Other officers could be seen shoving another protester who appeared to be trying to interfere with one of the arrests. Another shoving match could be seen between two officers and two other protesters.

Police loaded the two handcuffed suspects into patrol cars as many protesters hurled insults at the officers, many of whom were on bicycles, and recorded the incident on their cellphones. Some protesters, including at least one on a megaphone, chanted, “What are their charges?”

About seven officers on bicycles and seven marked and unmarked police cars then dispersed, driving or riding away north on Washington Street. The encounter, from the time police arrived to when they left, lasted about five minutes.