Gangs disrupted Black Lives Matter march, Richland sheriff says

After a Black Lives Matter march in Columbia on Sunday, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the otherwise-peaceful event was disrupted by gangs.

Lott said members from multiple gangs came to the protest around 9 p.m., causing some verbal and physical altercations. He and other law enforcement officers recognized they were gang members on sight, Lott said.

He declined to say how many gang members were present but said officers had no indication ahead of time that gang members were going to attend.

Lott emphasized that gang members inserted themselves to be disruptive to police, and that was not the protesters’ intent.

“What (protesters) were doing was being hijacked by gangs for their use,” he said. “It didn’t have anything to do with the Black Lives Matter effort.”

He said the gang members did not attend in order to fight each other.

No injuries and arrests were reported from the protest, but Lott said law enforcement allowed the protesters and gang members to sort issues out on their own.

The march drew about 800 people in total, according to law enforcement.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Gangs disrupted Black Lives Matter march, Richland sheriff says."