At least 217 people were arrested Friday during protests in Washington, DC, after Donald Trump was inaugurated president of the United States.
.@DCPoliceDept chief at a press conference now says 217 people have been arrested today. Six officers w/ minor injuries, three to head area
Six police officers suffered minor injuries in the protests, interim Washington, DC, Police Chief Peter Newsham said. The 217 arrested were charged with rioting and will be presented in court on Saturday.
That was up sharply from earlier in the day, when more than 90 people had been arrested after members of "an organized group" set off flares and vandalized property during protests against Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony in Washington, DC, on Friday, police said.
Protesters just smashed the windows of this limo, threw in a flare
In a briefing on Friday, Newsham said "a little over 90 arrests" had been made so far during clashes between demonstrators and police.
He specified that all those arrested were from "one group," which was a "very small percentage of the number of folks who came here to peacefully protest."
"Unfortunately we have a small group that wanted to disrupt the inauguration and caused significant damage in a number of blocks in our city," Newsham said. "It was disappointing to us that it happened."
Protesters were marching toward the National Mall as they clashed with police.
"Whose streets? Our streets" protesters pushing over trash cans, newspaper boxes
A limousine was set on fire below the Washington Post office.
Current view from Post HQ.
The limo was "abandoned" earlier when it was damaged by protesters, DC fire officials told BuzzFeed News.
Some protesters were seen throwing objects at police
A police officer told BuzzFeed News that they were deploying stingball grenades.
Cops love the flash bangs
Catalogue copy for the grenades offers that they are able to: "Psychologically and physiologically maximize less-lethal force against the most stubborn of crowds. Stinger Rubber Ball Grenade offers multiple stimulus of light, sound, rubber pellets and optional CN or CS chemical agents. Grenades detonate in a 50' circular pattern, spraying rubber pellets with micro-pulverized chemical agent."
Pink smoke appeared and loud bangs could be heard as people ran to take cover.
Chaos now at 12th and L. Loud bomb-like sounds, pink smoke, pepper spray. People are running away from the square
Police said "numerous" people were arrested and charged with rioting.
MPD Statement on Acts of Vandalism earlier today:
In a statement, DC police said that members of an organized group, armed with crowbars and hammers, engaged in "acts of vandalism," damaging vehicles, destroying the property of multiple businesses, and igniting isolated small fires.
Police said preliminary information indicated that the group collectively engaged in criminal acts. Two police officers sustained minor injuries from "coordinated attacks" by members of the group, and police vehicles were also damaged, according to the statement.
Police said they used pepper spray and other control devices to "control the criminal acts."
Scenes of chaos were captured as large groups of people ran through the streets.
Here's the earlier video of protesters running through streets, some smashing windows, as police chased with pepper… https://t.co/FZORclZbg9
Several people were seen being arrested by police.
Police making mass arrests in DC during #inauguration
Police formed a blockade urging people to stay back.
Police at 13th and K NW, yelling at people to stay back
Some broke the glass windows of a Bank of America building.
Protesters smash windows of Bank of America, police moving in
Other storefronts were also vandalized.
Security guard told me protesters came through and attacked police cars and storefronts. This is 13th and I.
Police used pepper spray against demonstrators.
Police pepper spray protester, others yell at him to stop resisting
A smoke bomb was also set off during the rioting.
Protesters with hands up, smoke bomb just went off
Protesters created a trash fire in the middle of a street.
protestors at 13th and K created a garbage fire in the middle of the road with lots of newspaper and rubber. no cop… https://t.co/jhN6kMukeB
Using chains, the protesters dragged city trash cans and newspaper vending machines to the center of K Street to make a trash fire. "Fuck Trump! This is just day one!" one protester shouted around the black smoke of the fire. Other protesters urged Uber drivers to get their parked cars out of the street "as fast as humanly possible."
A man wearing a Trump T-shirt tried to put out the trash fire.
Perpetual presidential candidate, self-described anarchist, and performance artist Vermin Supreme confronted police during protests.
Vermin Supreme confronts cops after they threaten to pepper spray him if he didn't go back behind the police tape
One person was carried away in a stretcher. An officer was overheard saying the individual had been trampled.
Person taken out on a stretcher, heard an officer say they were trampled. Same person cops were sitting w/ earlier
Police encircled protesters who chanted "Let them go."
Protesters alleged they were teargassed and pepper-sprayed by police.
Chants of "let them go" at 12 NW and L where police are encircling protestors, some say they were def pepper spraye… https://t.co/b7a5YQVZXX
This is Joel from Philly. His fiancé Kyra Rachel is detained by police across the st. He says he can see her having… https://t.co/pP1jwqIIMv
An indigenous people's banner was held at another large protest on I Street. People chanted "water is life" in solidarity with the Standing Rock protesters. One of the protesters told BuzzFeed News that the protest is "about solidarity for all indigenous people who are under attack and will continue to be threatened in Trump's America."
The protesters were greeted by the band Anti-Flag as the march funneled into a park. "Thank you for coming here today to reject Donald Trump," the band's lead singer told hundreds who had gathered there. "Donald Trump today talked about America first, but make no mistake: When he says America First, he means Corporate America first."