Multiple arrests made after climate protesters block lanes of I-495 in Montgomery County

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Maryland State Police have arrested seven people after a group of climate protesters shut down a portion of I-495 Monday morning in Montgomery County.

Troopers responded to the inner loop of I-495 at U.S. Route 29 following multiple calls of protestors dressed in neon vests holding signs and blocking the road around 10:30 a.m. 

A group of approximately twelve protesters lined up across all lanes of the inner loop and several other protesters were walking around holding signs. According to the Associated Press, some demonstrators carried signs for Declare Emergency, a group that previously shut down Washington, D.C.-area highways to demand that President Joe Biden declare an emergency to address climate change.

The group tweeted that "water protectors" and "ordinary people" were stopping traffic on the beltway on Indigenous People’s Day and calling on the president to "end fossil fuel extraction on #Indigenous land."

Troopers asked the protestors multiple times to leave. After several warnings, those who did not comply were arrested without incident. 

Seven people were arrested at the scene. All seven people arrested were charged with obstructing or hindering the free passage of another in a public place or on a public conveyance and failing to obey law enforcement. 

The suspects were identified as:

- Robert Achison, 74, of Vermont

- William Regan, 43, of Oregon

- Nora Swisher, 32, of Maryland

- Mary Osterbrink, 68, of North Carolina

- Andrew Hinz, 61, of Maryland

- Holley White, 58, of New York

- Jason Goward, 38, of Michigan

They were transported to the Montgomery County Detention Center for processing.

During the protest, traffic was diverted off the beltway until the road could be cleared. The interstate was reopened by 11:15 a.m.