Tucson police have arrested two people they say “played a significant role in escalating the violence” as protesters clashed with security officers outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Tucson on June 11.
“Investigators determined that the two suspects provided riot shields, rocks, and balloons filled with unidentified substances to crowd members, which were subsequently used to cause extensive property damage and assault several members of private security staff,” the Tucson Police Department said in a news release Friday evening, adding, “The estimated cost of the damages exceeded $31,000.”
LANGUAGE WARNING. Protesters marched to the gate of a building housing Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices near South Country Club and East Valencia roads Wednesday. Security officers used pepper pray and fired pepper balls as some protesters pushed barricades at security officers, sprayed them with bear spray and threw rocks and paint-filled balloons.
The suspects are Joe Michael Quarnberg, 46, and Kevin Clarke Silary, 34, police said. They were taken into custody Thursday, Sept. 18, after TPD’s Threat Mitigation Unit obtained warrants and searched their homes.
Quarnberg and Silary have been charged with rioting, intentional vandalism, and terrorism and are being held in the Pima County jail.
A security guard used chemical spray as demonstrators clashed with law enforcement and private security outside an ICE facility on South Country Club Road on June 11, 2025.
“The Tucson Police Department encourages all community members to exercise their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly in a lawful and respectful manner,” the news release said. “We remain committed to supporting safe and peaceful demonstrations and will continue to provide public safety support for gatherings and will only intervene to prevent or respond to criminal activity that endangers people or property.”
The arrests resulted from coordinated efforts between the Tucson Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pima County Attorney’s Office, police said.
The June 11 protest took place outside an ICE building near South Country Club Road and East Valencia Road.
“The demonstration, related to national concerns surrounding immigration enforcement, began peacefully,” police said in the news release, “However, as the event progressed, several individuals engaged in criminal behavior.”
Three people were previously arrested in connection with the incident, police said: Natalia Navarra, 23, on suspicion of unlawful assembly and resisting arrest; Sulutasen Amador, 46, on suspicion of obstructing a public thoroughfare and disorderly conduct; and Hannah Hartranett, 23, on suspicion of obstructing a public thoroughfare and unlawful assembly.
