Several dozen people protested Wednesday outside a Donald Trump rally in Anaheim, where demonstrators were outnumbered by police aiming to prevent the kind of trouble seen at other rallies for the candidate.

According to the Orange County Register, a total of 16 people were arrested throughout the day and at a second gathering in the evening.

Seven adults and one minor were taken into custody when they failed to follow orders to break up the protest after a Trump speech at the Anaheim Convention Center, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.

The order came after shouting matches erupted between opponents and a few supporters of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Lines of police in riot gear -- some on foot, others on horseback -- were backed by armored vehicles as they closely watched over the crowd.

Earlier, demonstrators pummeled a Trump piñata, decapitating it outside the center.

Some demonstrators with their faces covered by bandanas shouted expletives against the candidate, while others stood quietly with signs reading "migration is beautiful" and "we are not rapists."

Von Hougo says he loves a lot of what Donald Trump is saying.

“I don’t agree with everything he’s saying,” he adds.

The elementary school teacher drove about two hours to get here. As he strode toward the Anaheim Convention Center Wednesday morning, Hougo says he does worry that Trump promises much more than he can deliver.

"I don't think we can deport 11 million illegal immigrants,” says Hougo.

"I think we do need to secure the border but I think we also realistically need a pathway to citizenship. We need to get the people out of the shadows so we know who's here because that's a huge problem."

A retired Navy veteran named Larry, who didn’t want to give his last name, ambled up to the convention center hoping to get in, even though he didn’t have a ticket. He’s pretty sure he’ll vote for Trump.

“I have to admit he is kind of scary because you don’t know, he could start a trade war with China that’ll have disastrous consequences,” he says.

Trump has threatened to impose enormous tariffs on Chinese goods, an action that many economic experts agreed would hurt American trade abroad.

“But something needs to be done, and it may take a loose cannon," the vet adds.

It’s Trump’s reputation as a “loose cannon” who “speaks his mind” that has made protests at his appearances as ubiquitous as those red baseball caps with the Reagan-era borrowed “Make America Great Again” slogan that the billionaire reality TV star had trademarked.

Trump’s visit to Orange County last month was dogged by street protests. Anti-Trump demonstrators clashed with police, blocked streets and trashed a squad car.

Things were more subdued Wednesday. While Trump spoke to about 7,500 people inside, 17-year-old Lizbeth Bariera from Anaheim hoisted an anti-Trump sign over her head while slowly circling the convention center plaza on a skateboard.

“I'm not old enough to vote,” says Bariera. “But if I had to vote I would vote for Bernie (Sanders) because he’s the only one who has the common sense to know what's going on in the real world. He has a background in politics, unlike Trump.”

The majority of anti-Trump protesters were corralled on the opposite side of the convention center, away from the main entrance and under the watchful eye of dozens of police officers in riot gear.

Duane Green skipped class at Long Beach City College because he wanted to hear what was on people’s minds. Dressed in a crisp blue-and-white button-down shirt and slacks, Green waded into the crowd of protesters, many covering their faces with bandanas and ski masks.

He watched anti-Trump demonstrators face off against a small band of anti-gay, anti-abortion protesters. He watched people tear apart a Donald Trump piñata, impale the head on a Mexican flag and parade it around the grounds.

Green says he was impressed by people’s passion. But ultimately disappointed by what they had to say when he spoke to them.

“When it gets into detail, what do you feel about politics and procedures, they don’t know,” says Green. “But one thing I do know that’s important is education and money. Those are the real factors that get things done in the world. (Not) saying F whoever, with a mask over your face.”

As Green headed off, horse-mounted police closed in to disperse the few hundred anti-Trump demonstrators spilling into the streets outside the Anaheim Convention Center.

Trump returns to California for appearances in Fresno on Friday morning followed by a rally in downtown San Diego, where a coalition of activist groups promises marches and rallies targeting the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

This post includes reporting from The Associated Press.