San Antonio police say they're ready for possible unrest if Trump is arrested

The former U.S. president could be arrested as early as Tuesday if a grand jury decides to criminally indict him.

click to enlarge Reminiscent of his language before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump called on supporters to "take our nation back" if he's arrested. - Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Reminiscent of his language before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump called on supporters to "take our nation back" if he's arrested.
As a grand jury weighs whether to criminally indict Donald Trump, San Antonio Police Department officials said they're ready for any potential unrest that follows.

"Public safety for our community is our top priority," a SAPD public information officer said in an email to the Current. "SAPD continuously monitors open source information for any possible protests and civil unrest and performs threat assessments to prepare appropriately."

Despite those preparations, the department has an "unwavering commitment to public safety while protecting everyone's constitutionally protected right to free speech," the statement also said.

Trump is facing possible arrest as a grand jury decides whether to indict the former president on charges related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Although paying off a former mistress isn't illegal, the body is considering whether the accounting measures used by the Trump Organization to cover up the payment may have broken the law, according to NBC News.

The grand jury is hearing the last witness before deciding whether to indict the former US president on Tuesday, the AP reports. That means Trump could be arrested as early as Tuesday if criminally indicted.

Although it's unclear whether the grand jury will decide to issue an indictment, the former president announced Saturday on Truth Social that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday. He called on supporters "protest" and "take our nation back."

In response, some police departments are making preparations. Authorities in New York erected metal barricades around a Manhattan court house on Monday, according to Reuters.

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Michael Karlis

Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Weekly, NewsBreak, 420 Magazine and Mexico Travel Today. He reports primarily on breaking news, politics...

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