A man was arrested after allegedly pepper spraying protesters during an altercation Thursday afternoon in downtown Canton, according to information obtained by Jordan Miller News from Canton Police incident reports.
The disturbance began at approximately 4:47 p.m. Jan. 8 at Central Plaza North and Tuscarawas Street East, when dispatchers received multiple calls about a man confronting protesters, hitting signs and spraying pepper spray at individuals, according to the report.
Officers detained the man, identified as Jeremy Lewis. Police said a second man was also detained after witnesses said he became involved in the confrontation, though protesters refused to identify themselves as victims and the man was released without charges, the report stated.
Around 5:23 p.m., officers were ordered to return to the scene after authorities were informed that a witness — Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone — reported seeing a man repeatedly kicking Lewis after he fell to the ground. A suspect wearing all black, later identified as Ronald Blauch, was arrested and booked into the Stark County Jail on a first-degree misdemeanor assault charge, the report said.
In a supplemental report, police said they reviewed cell phone video taken by a witness. The footage allegedly showed Lewis arguing with protesters for several minutes while holding pepper spray. As tensions escalated, Lewis was seen deploying the spray toward the group, according to the report.
A protester told police that another man had taken her sign during the confrontation. Officers recovered the sign, though the protester declined to provide identifying information, preventing charges from being pursued, police said.
Another protester told officers he was sprayed in the face and reported irritation consistent with exposure to pepper spray, according to the report.
Lewis told officers he was kicked in the head after deploying the spray and was later transported to Mercy Hospital for medical evaluation, the report stated.
Police said the protest was part of a series of demonstrations occurring nationwide in response to the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and prize-winning poet who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Her killing has drawn national outrage and intensified political debate surrounding immigration enforcement and federal policing authority.
No additional arrests were made.
