The child of Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts was arrested at a protest on Boston Common and later charged with assault after an officer was injured.
The Boston Police Department stated that the individual, identified as Riley Dowell, will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court. Rep. Clark, who is the House Democratic whip, acknowledged her child’s arrest in a tweet and stated that the incident will be evaluated by the legal system. According to the police, officers responded to a report of a person defacing the Parkman Bandstand Monument with spray paint and anti-police phrases, identified as Riley Dowell.
During the arrest, a group of protesters surrounded the officers, causing an officer to be hit in the face and injured. Riley Dowell has been charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon, destruction or injury of personal property, and damage of property by graffiti/tagging. The incident comes amid ongoing protests in the area sparked by a fatal police shooting earlier this month in Cambridge.
Rep. Clark is serving her sixth term in the House of Representatives and represents Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District.
Rep. Katherine Clark’s daughter charged in police assault https://t.co/cu3EUnntZm
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) January 23, 2023