Law officers seen during protests in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sunday. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Chaos erupted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, over the weekend as protesters gathered to demonstrate against the police-shooting death of a 37-year-old black man, Alton Sterling, there last week.

The Black Lives Matter protests there and across the country — from New York City and Rochester, New York, to Washington, D.C., and St. Paul, Minnesota — have at times been violent, leading to hundreds of arrests.

Prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson, who was arrested on Saturday night in Baton Rouge while protesting Sterling's death, tweeted beforehand that "if anything happens tonight, it was caused by the police."

"Everybody has been peaceful tonight but them," he added.

In response to outcry over McKesson's arrest, a major with the Louisiana State Police told a reporter with The Advocate that McKesson and the other protesters had "clearly" been blocking a roadway.

"We respond to their actions," the major told Advocate reporter Maya Lau in a video later posted on her Twitter account.

Sgt. Don Coppola, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge police department, said the police were responding to the increasingly aggressive behavior of out-of-town protesters who had begun protesting outside the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters on Sunday.

"It appears the protest at Baton Rouge Police Headquarters have become more violent as out-of-town protesters are arriving," he told the Associated Press, adding that one officer's teeth had been knocked out by a projectile thrown into the police station.

Police officers scuffling with a demonstrator while trying to apprehend him during a rally in Baton Rouge on Sunday. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters A confrontation also apparently erupted between riot police officers and New Black Panther activists on Saturday night. Several of the activists were carrying shotguns, which is permitted under Louisiana's open-carry laws, according to Reuters. A police spokesman said several arrests were made and two weapons recovered.

Still, many protesters have contested claims that they provoked the Baton Rouge PD, which has evidently become militarized and tense in recent days.

—Capt. Jake Ballard (@kidnoble) July 11, 2016

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said he was "very proud" of the Louisiana law enforcement response.

"The police tactics in response have been very moderate. I'm very proud of that," he said in a statement.

Still, many on social media condemned the police's response during the protests. Multiple protesters described being confronted by police officers wielding assault rifles as they were demonstrating, apparently unarmed.

At least two journalists were reportedly arrested Saturday night, along with more than 100 others.

"The sheer number of arrests last night raises serious questions about proportionate response to peaceful protests," Jamira Burley, Amnesty International's campaign manager for gun violence and criminal justice reform, said in a statement from Baton Rouge.

"Law enforcement officers cannot selectively decide which laws to enforce during demonstrations — be it against journalists, legal observers, or protesters."

In particularly disturbing footage, a protester in Baton Rouge filmed police officers storming a private home and tackling apparently unarmed protesters to the ground.

In the video, the police — wearing full riot gear and carrying assault rifles — approached a crowd of protesters that had formed on someone's private property.

Multiple people could be heard yelling, "This is private property! You cannot do this!" as the police approached the home where protesters were standing, many with their hands raised.

"Clear the streets and leave the area!" one officer shouted through a bullhorn. "This is an unlawful assembly!"

At about 1:22 into the video, the police can be seen tackling protesters to the ground and placing them under arrest. It was unclear what led to the use of force.

In an interview with CBS, the homeowner said she "kept telling them: 'This is my property, please do not do that — I live here. They just looked at me and ignored the things I was saying.'"

"I'm very upset," she said. "I'm stunned."

Sterling's death, which was captured on video, has sparked outrage across the country from those who say he should not have been killed — Sterling was pinned to the ground by the police when one officer shot him in the chest.

Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old father, was pinned to the ground by the police when one officer took out his gun and shot him in the chest. Screenshot via The Advocate

Sterling's death came two days before another black man, Philando Castile, was fatally shot during a traffic stop outside St. Paul. His girlfriend filmed the aftermath of the shooting and has insisted that Castile complied with the police officer who pulled them over before he was shot four times.

During a protest in Dallas on Thursday night over the killings, a gunman fatally shot five police officers and wounded seven others in what was the deadliest day for US police officers since 9/11. At least 21 officers were injured in protests in St. Paul on Saturday, ABC reported, and more than 100 protesters were arrested.