10 wounded in clashes outside state Capitol building in Sacramento

ByLeanne Suter and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Monday, June 27, 2016
10 wounded in clashes outside state Capitol building in Sacramento
Several people were injured as members of the Traditionalist Workers Party and counter-protesters clashed at a rally outside the state Capitol building in Sacramento, California.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) -- Ten people were wounded, two with life-threatening injuries, at a political rally in front of the state Capitol building in Sacramento.

Authorities stated a rally held by the Traditionalist Workers Party and Golden State Skinheads turned violent Sunday when they were met by counter-protesters.

According to police, about 30 members of the TWP and GSS showed up for the rally, but were met by more than 400 counter-protesters.

The Sacramento Police Department said a large fight broke out after people carrying sticks rushed into the area where the rally was being held.

Officers with the California Highway Patrol on horseback and in riot gear managed to break up the large fight, but some members of both groups remained in the area where several smaller fights broke out again.

The violence forced the Capitol to be placed on lockdown until the crowds cleared the area.

A reporter from the ABC News affiliate in Sacramento said police taped the area off and blood could be seen on the sidewalk of the park where the violence occurred.

The Sacramento Fire Department said nine men and one woman, ranging in age from 19 to 58 years old, were treated for stab wounds, cuts, scrapes and bruises.

The two people who suffered life-threatening injuries were expected to survive, according to authorities.

MORE: 3 stabbed at KKK gathering in Anaheim, including 1 with flag pole

Authorities stated that one gun was found in the area during the melee. No arrests had been made in connection with the violence.

The rally was organized by the TWP, a group with links to white supremacists, who had permits to hold the rally at noon on Sunday in front of the Capitol.

The Southern Poverty Law Center described the TWP, a group formed in 2015, as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network, which aims to "indoctrinate high school and college students into white nationalism."

A post recently uploaded to site of the TYN said TWP members planned to march in Sacramento to protest against globalization and in defense of their right to free expression.

The clash Sunday follows a confrontation in March between Ku Klux Klan members and counter-protesters in Anaheim in which three people were stabbed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.