Woman injured in anti-Trump protest in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - An East Bay woman suffered a head wound during last Wednesday night's Oakland protest.

Oakland Police now want to talk to her, to find out why she didn't receive help from field medics that night.

Alexa Hornbeck was at her job as an insurance investigator for Sedgwick at Kaiser Permanente on Wednesday, when she learned a protest of the presidential election would take place downtown. She decided to go.

"I just felt there was a reason to go," said Hornbeck. "I wanted to see what people were doing out there. I could just tell that people wanted to say something."

Hornbeck joined the marchers and made her way to the front around 9:30 p.m. on Broadway, between 19th and 20th Streets.

"We see gas shoot up into the air and start to fall down," said Hornbeck.

The Oakland Police Department said after officers were injured by projectiles from splinter groups in the crowd, it deployed CS Blasts, a combination of loud flash bangs and what the department describes as a minimal amount of tear gas. Hornbeck said she never heard warnings from police to disperse.

"There was a huge sea of people trying to get away from the gas, because it really burns," said Hornbeck. "It burns everything; every crevice of your face. You can't breathe."

Hornbeck's time frame of 9:30 p.m., however, matches with when Oakland Police declared unlawful assembly and gave the disbursement order. Oakland Police said it gave the command several times before deploying CS Blasts on the outside perimeter of the crowd. KTVU helicopter footage shows when the CS Blasts were used.

While running, Hornbeck said an object on the ground kicked up into her face.

"I started bleeding everywhere and I couldn't see, because I had bled over my eyelids. All the blood was making it so I couldn't see anything."

She said a protester rushed over and used a handkerchief to apply pressure to her head. Other protesters helped her get down to the end of the street.

"Police looked right at me," said Hornbeck. "They saw me covered in blood. They saw people trying to help me, but they didn't say anything or do anything,"

It's unclear which law enforcement agency Hornbeck saw that night, as Oakland called in mutual aid from 12 agencies. Oakland Police said if officers saw Hornbeck visibly injured, their priority is to offer her help. The department said medic stations were set up around the protest, but the Fire Department only reported treating five people that night.

Oakland Police said all officers had their body cameras recording and the department's media team was also filming to document the event. Oakland Police asked Hornbeck to file a report with its Internal Affairs to see where her story fits in with the officers' video footage of the protest.

Hornbeck was treated at Sutter Hospital in Oakland and received six stitches for her head injury. She said she's appreciative that Oakland Police want to hear her story and plans to call Internal Affairs.