Fresno Police Chief speaking out after massive protest in Fresno streets

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer is speaking out about the Black Lives Matter rally protest on Saturday that crossed city lines from Fresno into Clovis.

Some 200 street cameras at the Real Time Crime Center at Fresno Police Headquarters captured the Black Lives Matter protest unfold all the way into Clovis Saturday.

Around 500 people marched in the rally that started at Blackstone and Shaw.

Lisa Sexton, one of the protestors, said, "To me, that just means that it was more heartness. More people cared, more people were determined to show their solidarity."

Chief Dyer said the rally was supposed to stay on the sidewalk but never did. He told Action News his department will be taking legal action.

"We have video recordings of individuals that were out on the street. People we had talked to in advance, told them they cannot be in the street. They'll be receiving citations from us, especially those individuals that organized the event."

Officers will also begin looking for drivers who allowed protestors to sit on top of their cars.

Chief Dyer said, "They too will be receiving citations. We have photographs of them, we have their vehicle license plate, so we're going to be aggressively enforcing those laws."

It wasn't just the surveillance cameras that captured protestors violating the law. Police said social media posts like one showing some of those participating in the rally entered a popular shopping mall helped as well.

"Some of the protestors were actually videotaping us live. We were able to monitor all of the activity including when they went into Fashion," said Dyer.

Chief Dyer said arrests or citations weren't given out for a reason Saturday night.

"We didn't do it last night simply because we didn't want to force a confrontation."

But he said it doesn't mean some those involved are off the hook.

"We don't want people to think that though there were no arrests last night that there won't be arrests in the future."

Now between CHP and Fresno PD there were about 130 officers out with the protestors.

Dyer also said it cost the city about $15,000 in overtime to bring officers in.