Man Arrested for Attempted Murder After Attacking Police Officer With Flamethrower During Abortion Rights Protests

A man was arrested for allegedly attacking a police officer with what appeared to be a homemade flamethrower during abortion rights protests in Los Angeles. He’s been charged with attempted murder, Deadline reports. 

Michael Ortiz allegedly threw the blow torch at the police officer, who was later treated at a hospital after suffering burns. Another portestor, Juliana Bernado, is accused of trying to take a police officer’s baton, and was taken into custody after being shot with a non-lethal bullet. 

“The vast majority of those involved were peaceful and law-abiding, however, a much smaller group of individuals took to the streets with the intention of creating chaos and destruction,” Police Chief Michel Moore said in a release.

Police proclaimed the demonstration to be an unlawful assembly later that night when protesters blocked two freeways and tried to take one over. They also had rocks, bottles, and fireworks thrown at them as the protest progressed over the course of the night. 

The gathering in downtown Los Angeles was just one of many protests that erupted across the U.S. in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which permits states to ban abortions.