Protesters gathered near the Tesla Factory in Fremont on Tuesday evening, leading to police intervention that included the deployment of pepper balls, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
The group had organized to protest what they perceive as corporate support for actions against Palestinians in Gaza. They had planned to gather at the Fremont Warm Springs BART station at 5:30 p.m. for their demonstration.
As tensions escalated, law enforcement, including Fremont Police and CHP, responded to the scene near Interstate Highway 880. Fremont Police deployed pepper balls in an effort to control the crowd, according to CHP reports.
By 7:30 p.m., Fremont Police issued a traffic advisory for the area surrounding Mission Boulevard/State Highway 262 at I-880, Industrial Parkway, Fremont, and Kato roads, urging residents to avoid the area due to ongoing protest activity.
This recent protest follows earlier actions by the same group that disrupted traffic on two major Bay Area roadways during the morning commute. The California Highway Patrol reported that 28 individuals were arrested on the Golden Gate Bridge, while specific details regarding arrests in Oakland were not disclosed.
The morning protests caused significant traffic disruptions, with closures affecting both directions of U.S. Highway 101 across San Francisco and Marin County, as well as both directions of I-880 near downtown Oakland, resulting in extensive backups and delays.