Demonstrator at Denver ‘No Kings' protest details moments before smoke deployed, arrests
DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Police Department said that 35 people were arrested late Saturday night after a series of protests around the Capitol and downtown Denver.
Police say the top offenses included throwing of projectiles, failure to obey a lawful order and interference with police authority. It was among more than 2,000 protests happening around the country.
Police: 35 arrested in Saturday night Denver protests separate from 'No Kings' protest
Denver police say they believe the vast majority of people participating in the 'No Kings' Protest left after the event ended around 4 p.m.
They say those marches were peaceful; however, they believe a separate group of people were protesting Saturday night when the arrests happened.
As people were out at the State Capital Sunday morning, enjoying the nice weather,r all that could be heard was the sound of birds chirping and cars whizzing. Everything was cleaned up, but there are still some things left behind from Saturday's protest, including graffiti left on portraits and property near the capital.
'Going out there, it was pretty peaceful,' said Elena Maldonado. She was one of the demonstrators out at Saturday's protests.
'I started by walking towards Civic Center and I kind of just joined in the protest and then started walking near I-25 near Colfax,' she said. 'That's where we were met with the police officers in a line, not letting us go head.'
Thousands attend peaceful 'No Kings' rally in Denver
Elena captured video moments after showing officers blocking access.
Police say they staged at the intersection before protestors arrived to prevent them from accessing Interstate 25.
The next video she recorded, just 10 minutes later, shows smoke being deployed to disperse the crowd. This, after police say some protesters threw rocks and other objects at officers near West Colfax.
A DPD spokesperson said tear gas was not used.
'When you inhale, it hurts your throat,' said Elena. 'It makes you sneeze. I'm not sure what smoke does, but even if you're not near the visible clouds, it still affects you if you are around it.'
Elena said she witnessed three out of the 35 people being taken into custody.
Denver man sues 2 officers, city for racism after murder charges were dropped last year
'People were containing each other. Getting a little bit heated and yelling and stuff but the other citizens made sure to calm them down,' she said. 'We're here to peacefully protest, we're not here to instigate.'
There was also a protest held Tuesday night. At that time, police say they arrested 17 people.
FOX31 looked at the names of the people arrested from both protests. As of now, it doesn't appear as if there were any repeat offenders from Saturday night.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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