17 people arrested in Zimmerman trial protest in Victorville

Demonstrators held a peaceful rally in Beverly Hills against the George Zimmerman trial verdict, but 17 people were arrested during a rally that turned rowdy in Victorville, authorities said Wednesday night.

Protesters rallied at La Cienega Park in Beverly Hills on Wednesday evening and then marched along busy Wilshire Boulevard in response to the Saturday acquittal of Zimmerman of second-degree murder by a Florida jury in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Some carried signs saying “We Are All Trayvon” and “Sin Justicia No Hay Paz,” or Without Justice There is No Peace. The marchers snarled rush-hour traffic in the area but were peaceful, the Beverly Hills Police Department said.

In Victorville, eight of the 17 people arrested Wednesday night were juveniles, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. Most of the arrests were made on charges of unlawful assembly.

Photos: Zimmerman verdict protestsA department spokeswoman said most of the 80 people who took part in the rally were peaceful.

But 10 to 15 juveniles went into a store at a Chevron gas station near Bear Valley Road and Balsam Avenue and reportedly opened items and left without paying, authorities said.

A large group of people gathered at the Mall of Victor Valley parking lot and tried to force their way into the mall. They were stopped by security guards who locked the doors.

Deputies from multiple stations responded and ordered the group to disperse, the department said in a statement. Most of the people left, but those who didn’t were arrested.

Another peaceful rally and march was held Wednesday evening in Pasadena.

In Los Angeles, additional police patrols were added in the area near the Beverly Center as officers braced for possible unrest. Late Wednesday, no arrests had been reported.

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