Man arrested for pepper-spraying demonstrators on SLO County overpass
A man was arrested in Templeton on Tuesday morning after he pepper-sprayed a group of “pro-democracy” demonstrators on a Highway 101 overpass.
According to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla, a group of between six and eight people was “holding a peaceful political demonstration” on the Vineyard Drive overpass in Templeton around 9 a.m. when a man approached them.
Cipolla said the man “confronted the group with a different political viewpoint,” at which point a “heated argument began.”
The man then pulled out a can of pepper spray and sprayed six members of the group, Cipolla said.
Deputies then arrived at the scene and arrested the man, identified as Miguel Angel Olivares, 46, of Arroyo Grande.
Because two of those who were sprayed were over 65, Olivares was arrested on suspicion of two counts of felony elder abuse with great bodily injury, according to Cipolla. He was also arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of tear gas and resisting arrest.
Cipolla said all six who were pepper-sprayed were treated by medics at the scene and released.
As of Tuesday evening, Olivares was still in custody with bail set at $50,000, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office “Who’s in Custody” website.
‘You don’t get to assault people like this,’ Templeton demonstrator says
Janice Mundee, one of the group that routinely gathers on the Vineyard Street overpass as part of the “pro-democracy” demonstration, told The Tribune on Tuesday afternoon that the event is usually positive.
“We are pro women’s rights, we are pro voting rights,” Mundee said. “We are pro, you know, gun control. ... That’s what we represent — and, of course, the right to peaceful protest. So we had coffee, we’ve got cookies. Everyone’s invited. It’s always positive, always kindness.”
During Tuesday morning’s protest, however, a man (since identified as Olivares) approached the group and began trying to argue with the activists, she said.
“He was just angry,” Mundee said. “And so I just said, ‘Guys, we’re not going to talk to him. You know, he has a right to be here, but we’re just not going to engage with him.’ And he really did want to engage.”
Olivares then approached Mundee’s husband, who was standing at the east end of the bridge, and attempted to argue with him, she said, at which point she advised her husband to put his sign up and block the man and attempt to continue to not engage with him.
She said Olivares then pushed her husband aside before taking out a can of pepper spray and spraying him and the rest of the group.
“He went up the row and (was) trying to get everybody,” Mundee said.
Her husband was sprayed in the face, while her sign took most of the damage when he tried to spray her, Mundee added.
After he made it to the end of the group, the man stuck around, Mundee said, at which point she called 911.
When the police arrived, “he kind of resisted,” she said, before an officer pushed Olivares to the ground and handcuffed him.
Mundee said the incident was frightening but also seems to be an expected — albeit unfortunate — outcome of the country’s current political climate.
“It’s just scary because there is one woman in our group named Carolyn,” Mundee said. “She said whenever she comes to our protest, which is Tuesday mornings, her mother says ‘OK, don’t get shot.’ It’s like, we feel that way. We feel a bit like we’re in danger by just standing out with a sign, and today we were shot. We were not shot with a gun, but we were definitely accosted — and you know, it’s just really scary.”
Mundee said she has no plans to stop protesting in the spot, which is also a popular location for pro-Trump demonstrators who line the fence with flags. In fact, their next protest is already planned for Oct. 4 in the same location.
“That’s part of what democracy is — is being able to speak your mind and to not be assaulted,” she said. “So that, you know, so it’s like, we’re not giving up and we will not back down from these fanatical people.”
She added the group is planning to press charges for the incident.
“You don’t get to assault people like this,” she said.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 6:19 PM.
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