Wichita woman, 79, batters teens protesting ICE, police say

A 79-year-old Wichita woman was arrested after she battered multiple teens Thursday at a student-led protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police said.

ICE protests have been going on nationwide since the organization ramped up raids, and students in the Wichita area joined in on those protests with walkouts this week.

Maize South students were protesting around 21st and Maize when the incident happened. Police were called around 3:27 p.m.

“A citizen called 911 expressing their frustration with the demonstration,” Wichita police Capt. Aaron Moses said. “Officers attempted to discourage her from engaging with demonstrators.”

But the woman did not listen and ended up battering a few teenagers, he said.

She was arrested on suspicion of three counts of simple battery.

Video from the incident showed a crowd of teenagers around the woman as police escorted her off. At one point, she pulled her arms away from police and put an arm around one of the teens, but police quickly grabbed her arm and kept her moving away from the protesters. The video didn’t show the alleged acts she was arrested for.