Anti-ICE teen protester arrested after allegedly throwing drink on police officer in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: An anti-ICE protester in North Carolina was promptly arrested after she allegedly threw a drink on a police officer maintaining order at the protest.

Emily Cervantes Ramos, 18, was immediately arrested, tackled and handcuffed after hitting the officer in the head, in Kannapolis on Friday, November 21.

Anti-ICE protest escalates to alleged assault

The protest consisted of about 75 people, mostly students from AL Brown High School who had walked out of class to demonstrate against the ICE operations occurring in and around Charlotte.

While the protest began largely peacefully, with police present only as a standard safety measure, it wasn't long before tensions flared.

Demonstrators began to shout insults at one officer, saying he was taking photos of them. One person was heard shouting amidst the noise, "You're not even an officer, you're just a no-life ass b***h."

The officer didn't say anything until Ramos is accused of coming up from behind him and smashing a plastic cup full of liquid over his head.

Emily Ramoz soon tackled by police following the alleged assault

Ramos then fled after the alleged assault, with the officer pursuing her immediately. Protesters yelled "Ohhh!" as the chase happened. Ramos was tackled to the ground and soon surrounded by officers who handcuffed her.

As the crowd kept heckling at the police, one bystander was heard saying: "She didn't even do anything." Ramos was charged with assault on a government official and resisting police officers. No other arrests were made in the incident during the demonstration.

Police chief defends arrest, citing illegal actions

A GoFundMe campaign was created shortly following Ramos' arrest to raise funds for her family - although it omitted any mention of the alleged drink-dumping.

Archived screenshots of the fundraiser read: "An officer intervened aggressively, snatching a bullhorn from a young girl and dragging her to the ground."

The page continued, “‘It was one of the most distressing things many of us have ever witnessed and it should never have happened to someone peacefully exercising their rights,” before the fundraiser was subsequently taken down.

Kannapolis Police Chief, Terry Spry justified the arrest by saying, “We believe in every individual’s First Amendment rights, but if any person’s actions become illegal in situations such as these, we have no choice but to take appropriate action in order to protect the people and property of our city.”

DHS' major deployment of federal agents to Charlotte

The Department of Homeland Security characterized the operation as a “surge” aimed at “ensuring Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed.”

In response DHS’s action, the Charlotte city government said it opposes the expected US Customs and Border Protection operations because they are “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community as recent operations in other cities have resulted in people without criminal records being detained and violent protests being the result of unwarranted actions."