Congresswoman Katherine Clark announced Sunday that her daughter Riley Dowell had been arrested the previous night in Boston.
Clark, the House Minority Whip, released a statement, saying, "I love Riley, and this is a very difficult time in the cycle of joy and pain in parenting."
The Democratic representative went on to say that the case will be evaluated by the legal system, and she is "confident in that process.”
Boston police responded to a protest around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Parkman Bandstand Monument at Boston Common where a group of protesters had gathered. Officers saw the 23-year-old from Melrose allegedly defacing the monument with spray paint.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Police allege Dowell wrote "NO COP CITY" and "ACAB," which is an anti-police acronym.
As Dowell was being arrested, police allege around 20 protesters began surrounding officers while screaming profanities through megaphones on the street, causing traffic to come to a standstill. During the scuffle, an officer was hit in the face and was bleeding from the nose and mouth, police said. It was not immediately clear who struck the officer.
Police said Dowell was arrested and charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon, destruction or injury of personal property and damage of property by graffiti/tagging.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
About an hour later, around 10:27 p.m., police say a second person was taken into custody at the monument.
Andrea Colletti, 27, of Brighton, allegedly attempted to run away but she was apprehended by officers. There was a brief struggle, police said, and Colletti was arrested and charged with damage of property by graffiti/tagging, destruction or injury of personal property and resisting arrest.
Both Dowell and Colletti are expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court at a later date. It was not immediately clear if either had obtained an attorney who could speak to the charges they're facing.
