SF cops: Vandals' tactics seen before S.F. DEMONSTRATION

Andrea Abi-Karam was among 20 people arrested Saturday. San Francisco police officers arrested 11 men and nine women Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 when the group marched through the city's Financial District in black clothing and tossed projectiles at police officers. less Andrea Abi-Karam was among 20 people arrested Saturday. San Francisco police officers arrested 11 men and nine women Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 when the group marched through the city's Financial District in black ... more Photo: San Francisco Police Dept. Photo: San Francisco Police Dept. Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close SF cops: Vandals' tactics seen before 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

Some of those arrested following a weekend vandalism spree in downtown San Francisco were probably involved in protests that caused damage in the Mission District last month, police said Monday.

San Francisco police arrested 11 men and nine women on Saturday when the group marched through the Financial District in black clothing and tossed projectiles at officers, said Officer Gordon Shyy, a police spokesman.

Police believe an anarchist group known as Black Bloc was involved, the same group police say was responsible for Mission District protests Sept. 20 and 21. Those protests occurred after officers shot and wounded a parolee who they say was armed. Protesters vandalized businesses and spray painted slogans on the Mission District police station. No arrests were made.

The same anarchist group was involved in Saturday's damage, Shyy said.

"It was the tactics of these individuals," Shyy said. "The masks, the hammers and some of the other weapons they had were consistent with the other protests we had encountered in the Mission."

Saturday's trouble began just before 3 p.m. when 100 marchers gathered at Justin Herman Plaza and headed up Market Street. A police officer was slightly injured when the demonstrators tossed flares, bags of paint and other objects. Several officers were bathed in paint.

Police officers circled the demonstrators around 3:30 p.m. at California and Battery streets, Shyy said. Other demonstrators were arrested when they fled to Pine and Sansome streets.

The 20 marchers were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, rioting, refusing to obey a lawful order from a police officer, resisting arrest and assault on a police officer, Shyy said.

One of those arrested lives in San Francisco, Shyy said. The rest live in Oakland, Concord, Martinez, Newark, Mount Shasta (Siskiyou County), La Verne (Los Angeles County), Long Beach and San Diego.