A 22-year-old Lincoln High graduate was in serious condition at a Rhode Island hospital Monday, after a Saturday scuffle between police and a crowd of protesters.

Alex Svoboda, who is studying Spanish at the Community College of Rhode Island, was part of a group protesting the labor practices of a New York food distributor used by a North Providence restaurant.

The protesters were walking down the street toward Jacky’s Galaxie when six North Providence police officers told them to move to the side of the road because they were blocking traffic, according to the Providence Journal.

The situation escalated. The police used pepper spray. The demonstrators said officers were restraining Svoboda, and she was trying to get free, when they tackled her and dislocated her left knee.

Sgt. Michael Paiva said police had to use force to restrain Svoboda because she was “hitting,” “kicking” and “pushing” officers. She has been charged with three counts of assaulting a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Scott Svoboda, Alex’s father, traveled to Rhode Island with other family members after his daughter called them in Lincoln at 6 a.m. Sunday.

“It’s more than just a passing injury,” he said from the hospital.

Alex Svoboda is suffering from a detached fibula and unspecified soft tissue and ligament injuries. She also underwent surgery to address compartment syndrome — a medical problem in which pressure impairs the blood supply in a confined space. Her dad was unsure of any permanent damage.

“It’s too soon to tell,” he said, “but we’re talking about a severe trauma.”

Paiva, who was on the scene, said the officers’ response was justified because demonstrators outnumbered police.

Six officers were facing a crowd of “100 people screaming in the middle of the street, refusing to move and disobeying every order the officers gave them,” Paiva told the Providence Journal.

The protesters estimated the group’s size at 30 to 40.

Protester Mark Bray said Svoboda was with the crowd moving to the side of the road when an officer restrained her. Bray said he thinks Svoboda’s drum sticks—which she was using to bang on a jug during the protest — might have poked the officer.

“He accused her of trying to assault him,” Bray said.

He was standing next to Svoboda when the officer restrained her, he said. Within seconds, two more officers were on top of her “as she lay there, screaming, in a contorted position.”

Svoboda was the only person reported injured in the scuffle. A 23-year-old Providence man was also charged in the incident with obstructing an officer in the line of duty.

Scott Svoboda said his daughter has been politically active since high school, but he described her as passive: With close family members who work with the FBI, she’s not one to take on a police officer.

She graduated from Lincoln High in 2002 and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a year, her father said.

The protest was arranged by the Industrial Workers of the World and the Brown University group Students for a Democratic Society.

Members of the crowd are organizing protests against the North Providence Police Department and the Rhode Island justice system, as well as vigils for Svoboda.

Scott Svoboda said the family is worried first about his daughter’s condition. They haven’t decided how to deal with her legal issues, or if there would be civil action taken against the officers or the police department, he said.

“When something like this happens, it really shocks you,”  he said. “This is a totally unwarranted action.”

Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7395 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com. Providence Journal reporter Elizabeth Gudrais contributed to this story.