10 arrested in Eugene protest over abortion ruling

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Police in Eugene say 10 people were arrested during a Friday night protest following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade.

The arrests were mostly for disorderly conduct, Portland television station KOIN reported. The protest started as a gathering near an anti-abortion-focused pregnancy center and grew to about 75 people, the Eugene Police Department said. It drew a heavy response from local law enforcement.

Eugene Police said in a press release Saturday that the protesters began gathering around 9:20 p.m., all wearing black clothing with masks and hoods.

Police said some of the protesters blocked Ferry Street Bridge and threw smoke bombs at officers. The police department used a truck equipped with an LRAD or Long-Range Acoustic Device — a powerful device sometimes used to disperse crowds with loud sounds — and began arresting people who were in the roadway.

After the first arrest, the situation escalated, police said, with members of the crowd becoming “verbally hostile” to officers. The police department said some people fought with officers, and the police then fired non-lethal “pepper balls” at the crowd. The crowd eventually left, the police department said.