Updated at 5:55 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
Denver’s “No Kings” rally on Saturday was peaceful until a small group splintered off and started marching toward I-25.
About 100 protesters left the Capitol after the main event ended, marching down 16th Street into LoDo and toward the I-25 onramp at 20th Street. Police were waiting for them, blaring an announcement that they would use chemical munitions and all force necessary to stop the group from walking onto the highway.
Most of the crowd dispersed at the warning, but a few dozen continued on, meeting a line of police in riot gear who were blocking the entrance to the highway. After about a half an hour, police announced that they would use force to disperse the group, giving them a 10-minute warning.
After time was up, and nobody had left, police used pepper balls and smoke canisters to push the protesters away, following them across downtown to 15th and Wynkoop streets.
Denver police announced on the social media platform X that it had made “several arrests.”
Related: Crowds gather across Colorado for ‘No Kings’ protests
