A 57-year-old man who allegedly scuffled with police during a tenants’ rights protest in Boyle Heights was arrested for allegedly stealing personal and official property from an officer, police said Thursday.
Gustavo Otzoy was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbery following an investigation into the confrontation that occurred during the Sunday protest, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to police, officers responded to the protest Sunday when some people in the crowd got unruly and an altercation erupted. Officers attempted to arrest a person involved in the unrest, when “several members of the crowd engaged in a violent altercation with officers attempting to free the individual under arrest,” according to the LAPD.
During that scuffle, Otzoy allegedly “was able to forcibly remove both personal and department property from the possession of a uniformed police officer, and in the chaos of the incident, was able to evade arrest,” police said.
At least seven officers were injured during the confrontation, according to the LAPD.
Investigators later were able to identify Otzoy as the suspect, leading to his arrest on Tuesday. He remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.