WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The son of former vice-presidential candidate US Senator Tim Kaine was arrested last week during a protest against President Donald Trump in Minnesota after a scuffle with law enforcement, police said on Tuesday (March 6).

Officers used a chemical irritant spray and a knee strike to subdue and arrest Linwood Michael Kaine on Saturday at a park on the grounds of the state capitol in St Paul, Steve Linders, a spokesman for the St Paul Police Department said.

Kaine, 24, was arrested, along with four other people, after reports of fireworks being used inside the capitol building, Linders said. Kaine was arrested on suspicion of second-degree riot.

Kaine, whose father Tim was the running mate for Democrat Hilary Clinton in her unsuccessful bid for the presidency, was taking part in a counter-protest meant to disrupt a "March 4 Trump" rally.

Kaine was booked at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Centre, according to facility records, but was released on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether he was charged with a crime.

St Paul city attorney Samuel Clark is reviewing the case for possible misdemeanor charges, according to a Tuesday story from the Pioneer Press, which first reported Kaine's arrest.

Clark's office did not immediately respond to request for comment from Reuters.

Tim Kaine, who represents the state of Virginia, told the Pioneer Press in a statement that he respected his children's'political positions.

"We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues," he said in a statement to the Pioneer Press. "They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully."