Baltimore police say Freddie Gray protest turns destructive

Yamiche Alcindor | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Freddie Gray protest turns violent in Baltimore Windows were smashed, police were pelted with bottles, and several protesters were arrested as a peaceful rally unraveled in Baltimore. Demonstrators were demanding justice for Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured in police custody.

Baltimore police said some of the protesters that took to the streets to draw attention to the death of Freddie Gray on Saturday turned violent, breaking windows and throwing items at police.

Police cleared Freddie Gray protesters of an intersection near the Baltimore Orioles game.

The number of what police called "agitators" dwindled downtown, as a line of officers pushed protesters away from the intersection they'd blocked for hours.

At least 12 people were arrested and two were injured in the mayhem, according to the Associated Press.

"We are doing our best to facilitate everyones [sic] right to be heard," said the Baltimore Police on its Twitter account.

A video posted by a reporter for The Baltimore Sun showed a man smashing a trash can on the window of a police car. Others climbed on nearby parked cars.

Protesters had promised this would be their biggest march yet after near-daily demonstrations this week over the death of Freddie Gray. Thousands of people took to the street for demonstrations that were peaceful for much of the day.

The protest came a day after police said Gray did not receive medical attention early enough after being taken into custody and that Gray was not buckled into a seat when he was transported in a police van after he was arrested April 12.

Gray, a black 25-year-old, died of a mysterious spinal injury that he suffered while in police custody. He was arrested for reasons police have not disclosed, and after having tried to run away from arresting officers, police said. Officers held him down, handcuffed him and loaded him into a police van to transport him to the station.

Saturday afternoon, protesters vowed to "shut down" the city and marched through the streets and snarling traffic. Many held signs and chanted "No justice, no peace."

The demonstrators were met by metal barricades in parts of the city and a row of police officers wearing their everyday uniforms, with none of the riot gear police often break out when anticipating confrontation, according to The Washington Post.

"Police have a tradition to dehumanize, to beat down and to show people who's in charge," the Rev. Graylan Hagler, pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast Washington, told the crowd, the paper reported. "It's the blue uniform. Stand up and stop police from disrespecting our community. Freddie Gray is one of many."

"Things will change on Saturday, and the struggle will be amplified," said Malik Shabazz of Black Lawyers for Justice. "It cannot be business as usual with that man's spine broken, with his back broken, with no justice on the scene."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Friday asked the public to remain calm during weekend protests. Hogan also sent state troopers to help keep the peace, and Baltimore officials urged employees to go home early this week as protests swept across "Charm City."

Shabazz has demanded the arrest of six officers involved in the arrest of Gray, who died Sunday, a week after suffering the spinal injury. The officers were suspended with pay and are under criminal investigation by their own department. The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing the case for any civil rights violations, and Gray's family is conducting their own probe.

Saturday, Shabazz also helped keep the peace at the protests, according to The Baltimore Sun. The paper reported several protesters began running toward Oriole Park at Camden Yards kicking parked cars and that Shabazz immediately started trying to stop them. One demonstrator stomped across the top of a police cruiser, before another stood atop it, the paper reported.

Mayor: Freddie Gray's death 'horribly tragic' Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake vows to get to the bottom of the cause of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray's death, who was critically injured while in police custody. (April 24)

The flare-up was however an outlier during an otherwise peaceful march, and Gray's family members quickly helped calm the crowd, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The paper also interviewed Sara Benjamin, who brought her 5-year-old daughter Imari Rucker because the mother felt it was important to expose her to democracy in action. "We need to fight for people who have died or passed away," the child told the paper while holding her own hand-made sign with "Black lives matter" and circled in the world "love."

The march attracted people from all over the country. Larry Holmes, 63, came from New York and expressed anger at the mayor and other officials who warned about outsiders agitating violence, The Washington Post reported. "If I'm an outside agitator, guilty as charged," Holmes said. "We need more outside agitators to reclaim our communities."

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis, who is leading the investigative police team looking into Gray's death, said that three bike officers encountered Gray and another man. Both men ran from police, who chased the pair through a neighborhood on the city's west side for several blocks.

Davis said when the officers caught up with Gray and arrested him, he should have received medical attention then. Davis did not explain why.

Freddie Gray protesters arrested in Baltimore Demonstrators took to the streets of Baltimore for a fifth day on Thursday to express their outrage over the death of Freddie Gray. Clashes between protesters and police ended with two arrests.

Gray asked for medical help several times, beginning before he was placed in the van. After a 30-minute ride that included three stops, paramedics were called. Authorities have not explained how or when Gray's spine was injured.

Police have said they plan on issuing a report by May 1.

Contributing: The Associated Press, Laura Mandaro in San Francisco