Protesters smash windows, bus shelter in clash with police as officers use pepper spray

Credit: NBC 4 Washington (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

NBC4 Washington – WASHINGTON (NBC 4) - Protests turned violent in downtown D.C. less than two hours before President Donald Trump took office Friday.

Three D.C. police officers were injured in the clash with a crowd of 100 to 200 protesters, who were mostly dressed in black.

Recommended Videos



Demonstrators smashed windows and the glass of at least one bus shelter, and at least 100 police officers dressed in riot gear surrounded a large group near Franklin Square downtown. Officers used tear gas to try to quell the disturbance.

The nature of two of the officers' injuries was not immediately available; another received minor injuries from thrown objects, said D.C. Fire & EMS officials.

During the height of the clash, some in the crowd threw newspaper boxes in an attempt to block police and smashed windows of cars, police cruisers and businesses in the area, including along K Street NW.

As officers tried to surround them, protesters hurled rocks and bottles at them. Flash-bang devices could be heard exploding, but it was not immediately clear whether protesters or officers had set them off.

By about 11:30 a.m., police had successfully surrounded about 20 to 30 protesters at the corner of 12th and L streets NW. Police brought in several transport vans and appeared to be preparing to make the first mass arrests of the day.

Earlier in the day, dozens of protesters lined up at the entrance to a seating area on the West Front of the Capitol, holding signs that said "Free Palestine" and "Let Freedom ring."

Some protesters wore orange jumpsuits with black hoods over their faces, showing their disapproval of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

Another group of about 10 protesters tied themselves together to block an entrance for ticket holders at 10th and E streets NW. As they sat on the ground, a larger group cheered them on, chanting phrases such as, "We won't be silent."

Eventually, police used pepper spray after things got physical between protesters and supporters. News4's Mark Segraves said "you can taste the pepper spray in the air."

Ticketholders were allowed to make their way through the gate despite the protests. On the other side of the Capitol, things were quiet and orderly at a second gate.

No arrests were made in those incidents, Segraves reported.

Meanwhile, at Union Station, supporters and protesters arriving in the District were able to find some common ground.