Tribe Asks DOJ to Intervene in Escalating Dakota Access Pipeline Protests

The pipeline would come within a half mile of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, which straddles the North and South Dakota border

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to immediately intervene in the escalating situation between protesters and law enforcement over construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the tribe's chairman told NBC News on Sunday night.

"The DOJ should be enlisted and expected to investigate the overwhelming reports and videos demonstrating clear strong-arm tactics, abuses and unlawful arrests by law enforcement," Chairman Dave Archambault II told NBC News.

The tribe's request comes after a weekend in which the months-long protest entered a new and more chaotic phase. On Saturday, 127 protesters were arrested on suspicion of criminal trespassing on private property, according to new figures released Sunday by the Morton County Sheriff's Office.

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