11 Arrested In Midtown Clash Between Trump Supporters, Opponents

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Eleven people were arrested on Sunday after dueling demonstrations supporting and opposing President Donald Trump converged in Midtown Manhattan, police said.

The two sides included a pro-Trump caravan of cars, organized by the group Jews for Trump, which rolled into Times Square and was met by anti-Trump protesters who had marched over from Brooklyn, according to the New York Times.

After trading insults, the groups began fighting in the middle of Times Square, police said. Most of the 11 people arrested in Midtown Sunday afternoon were released and given court appearances for charges including disorderly conduct and harassment.

One 36-year-old man was accused of throwing eggs in the faces of two police officers and charged with assault and resisting arrest, police said.

The pro-Trump caravan paraded from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side on Sunday. At one point, the group encountered Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor-turned-attorney to the President, who was met with jeers from protesters as he traveled down Fifth Avenue along with the caravan, video shows.

The clash occurred on the second day of early voting in New York ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election. Police officials have outlined plans to deploy hundreds of additional uniformed cops, fearing unrest in the run-up to the election and once results are announced.

NYPD officers were set to be stationed at 88 early voting locations across the city when they opened Oct. 24, Terence Monahan, NYPD Chief of Department, said last week. Officers also will cover more than 1,200 polling locations on Election Day itself.

"As we continue to facilitate peaceful protests across the city, currently we have no known threats of disruptions and we do not expect any during the course of the next few weeks," Monahan said. "But let me be clear, the NYPD is fully prepared to protect every person's right to vote."

Police themselves have also come under harsh scrutiny for months, beginning with their sometimes-violent response to protests over the summer stemming from the death of George Floyd. This weekend, the NYPD suspended an officer for saying "Trump 2020" over a loudspeaker in Brooklyn, apparently violating department policy.

Matt Troutman contributed to this report.