BROOKLYN - Several people are in custody after police say unruly crowds gathered on the streets of Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood following an arrest by ICE agents late Saturday night.
What we know:
The NYPD responded to reports of disorderly conduct outside the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center between Stanhope and Stockholm streets around 10:25 p.m.
Police say officers arrived to find numerous people acting disorderly, obstructing vehicle traffic and blocking emergency entrances and exits to the hospital.
Nine people were taken into custody after repeated verbal warnings to disperse were made by police. Eight of those people were arrested and charged, and one person was released on a criminal court summons.
Dig deeper:
The protests broke out following the arrest Chidozie Wilson Okeke, a criminal undocumented immigrant from Nigeria with previous arrests for assault and criminal drug possession.
During his arrest, the Department of Homeland Security says Okeke attempted to hit ICE agents with his vehicle, then tried to punch and elbow the officers.
"Our officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to FOX 5.
Okeke was escorted to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center after requesting medical attention. He was cleared, but officials say he threw himself to the floor and screamed while being evaluated.
The DHS says "anti-ICE agitators" gathered outside the hospital during Okeke's evaluation, and became violent.
"The protesters damaged several ICE vehicles and assaulted ICE officers, resulting in minor injuries to the officers," the spokesperson said. "Assaulting law enforcement is a felony and crime."
What we don't know:
Reports claim that the groups were protesting ICE activity in the area, but authorities have yet to release any additional information.
Police have also yet to announce the charges filed against those arrested.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by the NYPD and the Department of Homeland Security.