William Cummings

USA TODAY

Authorities said 17 people were arrested after hundreds of protesters blocked an intersection and vandalised a police car outside a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Calif., Thursday.

Police had placed themselves between the anti-Trump crowd and Trump supporters, many of whom began shouting "Build that wall! Build that wall!" at the crowd of demonstrators outside The Pacific Amphitheatre, the Associated Press reported.

The crowd of demonstrators was primarily composed of people in their late teens and early twenties, The Los Angeles Times reported. They waved Mexican and American flags and some hurled rocks at motorists, according to The Times.

Not long after police ordered the crowd to disperse, a group of people swarmed a police car and at least one man jumped on its roof, leaving the vehicle's back window smashed.

At one point a fight broke out after a Trump supporter tried to get his hat back from someone who had snatched it, the AP reported.

A total of 17 people — 10 men and 7 women — were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly, Costa Mesa police told The Times

Earlier, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet that approximately 20 people were arrested and there were no major injuries, The office said the crowd dispersed by 11 p.m. PT.





Trump's stances on immigration, including his call for a wall along the southern U.S. border, have fueled the passion of his supporters and sparked outrage among his opponents. In a state that is nearly 40% Latino, Trump is likely to continue to draw protests as he campaigns through California.

Five people, including two little girls, were pepper-sprayed during a clash between Trump supporters and opponents outside city hall in Anaheim, Tuesday.

Trump did not mention the protests in a tweet shortly after the event in which he promised to return to Costa Mesa. "31,000 people tonight with thousands turned away. I will be back!" Trump said. He may have overestimated the size of the crowd at the venue, which has a capacity of about 18,000 people.