Protesters blocked the road to Mount Rushmore before President Donald Trump's visit Friday night for a speech and fireworks display.
The protesters used vans and slashed or removed the tires to create a roadblock on the way to the event, the Daily Caller tweeted with a video:
"BREAKING: Protesters have slashed the tires on vans and are blocking the road leading to Mt. Rushmore where President Trump is scheduled to speak tonight in honor of the 4th of July"
The account tweeted again showing what looks like National Guard riots troops coming into the area:
"Riot police have arrived on the scene"
About 15 protesters were arrested after a demonstration that blocked the main road into Mount Rushmore ahead of Trump's arrival. More than 100 protesters, many Native American, lined the road leading from Keystone, South Dakota, to the monument, holding signs and playing Lakota music in 95-degree heat.
Some held their fists in the air as cars loaded with event attendees passed by. Others held signs that read "Protect SoDak's First People," "You Are On Stolen Land" and "Dismantle White Supremacy."
Protesters barricaded the road with vans, prompting police and National Guard soldiers to move in. A standoff ensued, with police using pepper spray on several protesters but taking no further action for several hours. Police finally used tow trucks to remove the vans and gave the demonstrators 30 minutes to leave.
All but a group of about 15 people holding a banner that read "Land Back" left. When the deadline arrived they were arrested without incident, turning and putting their hands behind their backs to be cuffed. The protest would not have stopped Trump from arriving. He was scheduled to touch down near the monument in a helicopter.
The Daily Caller was founded in 2010 by now-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sold his stake last month.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.