Charges from pro-Trump protests

Police recovered eight unregistered firearms from people arrested during demonstrations that included violent clashes between supporters of President Trump and counterprotesters.

Police Chief  Newsham said a majority of the unregistered firearms belonged to a Georgia couple, Joshua Justice Skillman and his girlfriend, Samantha Falk who, according to court papers, told police they were in Washington to support their president.

Skillman and Falk were walking through a crosswalk at 11th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW about 1 p.m. Saturday when officers noticed the two openly carrying semiautomatic firearms. Skillman told the officers that he and his girlfriend had licenses for their weapons in Georgia. But they did not possess such a license in D.C.

One of the officers noticed Skillman was also carrying a loaded P90 rifle magazine, court papers say. Skillman told officers that the rest of the weapon was at their hotel, where police later found additional weapons and ammunition. Newsham described one gun found as a very unique weapon. A police spokesman later said the firearm was a loaded submachine gun.

A lawyer for Skillman could not be reached, and a lawyer for Falk did not return a request for comment. Both were released from custody and ordered to return for hearings in the spring.

D.C. police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the couple were affiliated with a militia, a claim Falk’s family denied. Sternbeck declined to identify the group or describe it further.

21 people were arrested during the Saturday protests on charges including destruction of property, carrying a pistol without a license, inciting violence and disorderly conduct. They included a Virginia man charged with a weapons violation who told a judge he didn’t know it was illegal to carry his gun in the District.

The majority of those arrested were released and ordered to return to D.C. Superior Court for hearings.