More than 80 people were arrested Monday during a protest over the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office's decision not to charge the two officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.
Protesters were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly after police attempted to disperse the protest outside downtown Sacramento, Capt. Norm Leong, of the Sacramento Police Department.
Several cars along the protesters' route were keyed, authorities said.
One of the people arrested was Dale Kasler, a reporter for The Sacramento Bee, who had been covering the demonstration. Kasler was released about an hour after he was detained, the newspaper reported.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg issued a statement, saying he was disappointed by the way the protest went.
"I'm very disappointed the protest ended the way it did," Steinberg said. "I have many questions about what went on that precipitated the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests. I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning. No matter the reason an order to disperse was given, no member of the press should be detained for doing their job."
Protesters took to the streets Monday night two days after Sacramento D.A. Anne Marie Schubert announced that her office would not be pursuing criminal charges against the two officers who shot Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man, in his grandmother's backyard in March of last year. Prosecutors said officers believed Clark was in possession of a gun when they shot him several times.
"We have one question to answer. And that question is, was there a crime committed?" Schubert said at a press conference Saturday. "There's no question that a human being died, but when we follow the law and our ethical responsibility, we will not be not charging these officers with criminal liability for the death of Stephon Clark."
Officers confronted Clark last year after receiving reports about someone breaking into cars in the neighborhood. Surveillance video later showed Clark smashing the windows of three vehicles, Schubert said.
No weapon was ever found.
It's estimated that more than 100 people took part in yesterday's march down Folsom Boulevard. Organizers said they chose the location because the wealthy neighborhood is home to many leaders in city and state government.
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