Police arrest 18 people in downtown Phoenix protest Saturday

UPDATE: The following criminal case was dismissed against all defendants after an ABC15 investigation revealed gross misconduct by Phoenix police officers and Maricopa County prosecutors. Learn more at ABC15.com/protest.

Fifteen adults and three juveniles were arrested on Saturday after a protest in downtown Phoenix.

Ann Justus with Phoenix Police Department says at around 8 p.m. demonstrators began marching near 10th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

Police say the group moved through the streets and were blocking the roadway as well as throwing incendiary devices that emitted smoke at officers.

During the incident, a fully marked patrol vehicle was damaged, and an unlawful assembly was then declared at 8:33 p.m., police say.

Officers also say as they began making arrests, another incendiary device was thrown at them, causing them to deploy less-lethal weapons to make the arrests.

Only four of the 15 adult arrests have mug shots available at this time.

Those arrested are now facing charges of rioting, unlawful assembly, aggravated assault on a police officer, hindering prosecution, criminal damage and obstructing public thoroughfare.

Police say Nathaniel Llanes, 29, Dominic Bonelli, 23, Christopher Roberson, 32, Kaleb Martin, 18, Nathan Aderholdt, 32, Amy Kaper, 28, Marysa Leyva, 25, Riley Behrens, 23, Suvarna Ratnam, 25, Jessica Gibson, 24, Britney Austin, 35, Kalixta Villasaez, 22, Brenda Diaz, 18, Jacquelyne Alacaraz, 19, Ryder Collins, 32, as well at three 17-year-olds were arrested in the protest.

It was not immediately clear whether the protests were held by a certain group, but an account called "The W.E. Rising Project" posted on Twitter about the arrests, asking that charges against those arrested be dropped, and calling for the defunding of police.