Arrests, Confrontations Between Law Enforcement and DAPL Protesters

Sheriff’s deputies and protesters collided this afternoon at the Dakota Access property.

They used non-lethal bean bags and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
 
Police from departments across the region and the National Guard are sweeping the campsite right now.

Tensions are high in Morton County after officers arrested 117 (number updated as of 8:39p.m.) of the estimated 250 protesters on Dakota Access property.
 
Many of the people there are taking and posting videos of the arrests.

Officers began mobilizing along highway 1806 which is now closed indefinitely.

Protesters then used burning trees and tires to block the bridge from law enforcement officers on county road 134.

Police say this protest is illegal and dangerous.
 
“We have folks holding this line right now,” said Dallas Goldtooth, who has been LIVE Facebooking the protest. “I’m well aware, I think we’re all well aware, this is a resolute situation for everybody in this space, that’s what we’ve been told.”
 
“They were told they could go back to the main camp and there wouldn’t be an issue with that,” said Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier. “They just cannot be on the roadway, cannot be blocking the highway, and cannot be trespassing.”
 
Officers remain on the scene and they say they’ll stay at least through the night.

At this hour, all protesters have been cleared from the site according the Morton County Sheriff.

KVRR journalist Nick Broadway will have much more on this story on KVRR News at 9, including the shooting that happened this afternoon.

We caught up with Senator Heidi Heitkamp for her thoughts on the events in Morton County.

Heitkamp says she feels the police are justified in removing protesters from the private land.

She says the majority of the protesters are peaceful and prayerful.

But Heitkamp says protesters have to make sure their movement isn’t hijacked by those intent on committing crimes.

“When you have people on private land there has to be a response to that,” she explained. “That’s not to say that that’s an opinion about the pipeline or an opinion about the concerns that the tribes have in that indigenous people have.”

Senator Heitkamp was in Fargo to accept an award for her support of North Dakota’s manufacturing community.