Things turned violent during the annual Trans March in San Francisco’s Tenderloin when marchers clashed with the police, leading to five arrests.
The march was meant to be a peaceful event, but according to eyewitnesses, the police took action against someone who was caught spray painting on a building.
That reportedly triggered clashes between others and the officers. A video also shows a person climbing and stomping on a police car before officers pulled him down.
The San Francisco Police Department released a statement after the incident, revealing that two officers were assaulted and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Marchers Attempted To Block Police Officers
Thousands of people participated in the Trans March, which is the traditional kickoff to Pride Weekend. The march began at Dolores Park, continued down Market Street, and ended at Turk and Taylor streets.
According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, witnesses said that the chaos erupted after police tried to arrest someone spray-painting a building on Market Street. That was when marchers reportedly approached and tried to block the arrest, prompting the officers to respond with force.
Eyewitness Nora Long told the outlet:
“The cops dragged them and threw them to the ground, and then protesters got in there trying to stop them. From there, the cops responded with more violence.”
A video shared on X by Mission Local showed an officer shoving one person to the ground.
Soon after, another person who seemed to be dressed as Jesus climbed on top of a patrol car before officers dragged him down.
In the chaos that unfolded, other officers tried to keep the crowd at bay.
TONIGHT
Several people were arrested at the end of the Trans March, the kick-off event for San Francisco Pride weekend.
Police officers ran into the crowd & handcuffed people, allegedly for earlier acts of vandalism. People were heard yelling “Get off him!” & “What the fuck?!” pic.twitter.com/TLZNi90L6Z
— Mission Local (@MLNow) June 27, 2026
SFPD Releases Statement
The SFPD released an official statement on Facebook, revealing what unfolded during the Trans March. It read:
“On 6/26/26 at approximately 7 PM officers were monitoring a planned march on Market Street when they observed individuals vandalizing property with paint at Market and 8th streets.
“As the vandalism was occurring, one of the individuals assaulted and sprayed paint on a person. Officers observed the crime in progress and attempted to detain the suspects. As the officers attempted to detain the suspects at Turk and Taylor, other individuals surrounded and obstructed the officers in an attempt to free the vandalism suspects. Officers arrested three adult suspects for assault and vandalism and two adult suspects for obstructing the officers’ investigation.
“Additionally, two officers on scene were assaulted and suffered non-life threatening injuries which they received medical treatment after they provided crowd control support during the incident.
“The suspects’ identities and arrest charges are not being released due to the active investigation.”
One marcher, Emilio, told Mission Local that 25 to 30 police cars were waiting as the march neared its end, and officers reportedly “sprinted through the crowd after that one person.”