An officer puts out a sign that counter-protesters lit on fire after supporters of President Donald Trump held pro-Trump marches.

Julio Cortez / AP Photo

A man was stabbed Saturday night during a series of violent clashes downtown between demonstrators who support President Donald Trump and counterprotesters.

The man was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday. The incident is under investigation, but police have not yet made any arrests.

The stabbing occurred around 8:12 p.m. on New York Avenue NW between 10th and 11th Streets.

A public information officer declined to provide additional information about the circumstances, but the Washington Post reports that it occurred amid a minutes-long brawl between the two sides.

An independent journalist also said she was stabbed in the ear by a person she believed to be a member of the Proud Boys. 

Thousands of mostly mask-less supporters of Trump descended on downtown Washington on Saturday, alleging widespread voter fraud and echoing the president’s baseless claims of a “stolen” election.

While there were a number of skirmishes throughout the day, D.C. police largely were able to keep the two groups apart. But as nightfall descended, scenes downtown grew increasingly chaotic.

The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that 21 arrests were linked to the demonstrations and police recovered eight firearms. Four MPD officers sustained non-life threatening injuries, a spokesperson said.

Earlier Saturday afternoon, police said four of the arrests were for firearm violations, two for simple assault, two for disorderly conduct, one for an assault on a police officer, and one traffic violation. MPD’s arrest data shows others were arrested for theft and for possessing a prohibited weapon, among other charges.

Throughout the evening, a number of sites downtown—including Black Lives Matter Plaza, the area outside the Capital Hilton, and K Street—saw repeated confrontations between pro-Trump factions and counterdemonstrators. In some cases, they turned into full street brawls.

Police wearing riot gear have used a variety of tactics to keep the groups separate, with videos showing officers pushing protesters back with bicycles, deploying chemical irritants, and accompanying the Proud Boys as they marched through the streets.

At one point, the extremist far-right group and other pro-Trump supporters gathered around Washington Monument. Reporters captured members of the crowd making white nationalist hand gestures and chants of “break out Kyle,” referring to the Illinois teenager who is accused of killing two people and wounding a third at a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

After 11 p.m., Trump weighed in on his medium of choice, claiming that “Antifa waited until tonight, when 99% were gone, to attack innocent #MAGA People” and exhorted D.C. police to “get going — do your job and don’t hold back!!!”

Later, Trump added tweeted commentary on the response of both D.C. police and Mayor Bowser saying “Police got there, but late. Mayor is not doing her job!”

As midnight approached, a group of several hundred pro-Trump protesters continued to march through the streets, carrying a large black-and-white American flag emblazoned with “Trump Law And Order” and periodically stopping to chant. They were followed by a line of MPD police cars.

https://twitter.com/debbietruong/status/1327822477100273665

There were also reports Sunday morning that pro-Trump demonstrators had torn down signs on the fence around Lafayette Square. The fence has been covered in posters and art during ongoing racial justice demonstrations. FOX 5 reported police then began to clear the area.

Filed Under: 2020 election, d.c. protests, dc maga, Donald J. Trump,