Police arrest 22 during Friday's Louisville protests over Breonna Taylor case

The Louisville Metro Police Department said it made 22 arrests Friday night, the 121st night of protests over the Breonna Taylor case.

It was the third night after a grand jury declined to indict officers directly related to Taylor's death and included more than 400 protesters in downtown Louisville, many of whom, for the second night in a row, gathered at the First Unitarian Church for "sanctuary" when curfew arrived at 9 p.m.

At 12:30 a.m., police said they had arrested 23 people, but corrected that number in a release sent Saturday morning that included the names and charges. 

Fifteen of the 22 are identified as Louisville residents. Police said one person from Jeffersonville and one person from Radcliff, Kentucky, were also arrested. 

All but three had curfew violation listed among their charges. And most also had charges of failure to disperse and unlawful assembly. All three are misdemeanors. 

Related:What to know about Breonna Taylor protests as you start your day Saturday

Two people were arrested on Main Street about 7 p.m. after police briefly blocked a group of protesters on their way to Jefferson Square Park. LMPD said the arrests, as well as the use of two flash bang rounds, were a result of marchers not moving to the sidewalks when asked in order for traffic to pass.

Alycia Patterson, a Kentucky State University student in that march, said it "wasn't right" that police blocked the group's path.

“It wasn’t right at all. We were peaceful," she said. "We shouldn’t have been cornered like that. We shouldn’t have been afraid." 

Around 11:30 p.m., as a night of relatively quiet protesting began to come to a close, about 50 police officers surrounded a group of protesters and made them sit on the ground at Sixth and Chestnut. A reporter on the ground estimated at least 15 arrests. An officer said the arrests were for breaking curfew.

Courier Journal reporter Sarah Ladd contributed to this article. 

Matt Mencarini: 502-582-4221; mmencarini@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @MattMencarini. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today.