Police arrested 187 people Friday during the third night of protests over the election of Donald J. Trump as president as the crowd of marchers swelled to over 3,000 in downtown Los Angeles.
The two men were arrested for allegedly tagging a police car. The marchers started at Pershing Square, marched to City Hall and were still moving as of 11 p.m.
Of the 187 people arrested, 8 were juveniles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police flooded the streets, anticipating the crowds and blocking freeway entrances to prevent them from walking onto highways.
At one point Friday night, a group tried to run onto an off-ramp, but officers quickly ordered them off.
The LAPD tweeted earlier Friday that they would "aim to secure public safety in our City of Angels" while also respecting First Amendment rights.
A large anti-Trump rally and march is scheduled to begin at MacArthur Park at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Protesters plan to gather in the park and march to the downtown federal building.
The protest Friday came after days of previous marches downtown and across the country and as Los Angeles police monitored the downtown area, watching for new protests.
The LAPD updated figures from the protests that took place Thursday night and carried over into this morning, noting that 226 people were arrested for blocking a roadway and failure to disperse and that 23 of the arrested were juveniles for curfew violations, said Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im.
The officer injured in an assault during the demonstration was released from a hospital, Im said. The suspect was also injured and police said he was arrested.
While most protesters on Thursday were regarded as peaceful by police, officers gave dispersal orders to an aggressive group that refused to budge from the area around Olympic Boulevard and Olive Street around midnight, he said.
The protests prompted Metro to detour some buses off Spring Street.
LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman said there were reports of vandalism and graffiti in downtown but did not specify where.
"We're here to protect everybody's right to free speech but not when it impedes everyone else and not when it puts people in harm's way," said LAPD Public Information Director Josh Rubenstein.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said the right to free expression is "one of our greatest privileges as Americans," but added that unlawful, dangerous behavior won't be tolerated.
