RadioOnFire.com - Protesters angry over the death of Freddie Gray got into physical altercations with police Saturday night in downtown Baltimore near the city's famed baseball stadium. Some of the hundreds who confronted lines of police officers got into shoving matches with helmeted cops while other demonstrators threw objects. At least five police cars were damaged by people who smashed windows and jumped on them.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was profoundly disappointed by the violence, adding that 95% of the protesters were respectful but a "small group of agitators intervened."
Fredericka Gray, the twin sister of Freddie Gray, made a statement: "My family wants to say, 'Can y'all please, please stop the violence? Freddie Gray would not want this.' Freddie's father and mother do not want any violence. Violence does not get justice."
Vandals broke and damaged storefront windows and trashed one 7-Eleven, police said. CNN crews observed a window damaged at a Michael Kors store and holes in one at a Subway restaurant.
The skirmishes followed a planned demonstration over how police handled the arrest of Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore man who suffered a spinal injury at some point after he was detained by police on April 12. He died a week later.
The numbers of protesters dissipated substantially just before sunset, though some people were still walking in the streets near Oriole Park at Camden Yards, causing some traffic problems.
Earlier, demonstrators had marched through the streets until they arrived at City Hall. Along the way, whenever it appeared the protest might get out of control, organizers reined the marchers back in.
The event ended after speeches at Baltimore City Hall on Saturday evening, but many protesters continued to vent their anger by marching down to Inner Harbor.
Vandals broke and damaged storefront windows and trashed one 7-Eleven, police said. CNN crews observed a window damaged at a Michael Kors store and holes in one at a Subway restaurant.
The skirmishes followed a planned demonstration over how police handled the arrest of Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore man who suffered a spinal injury at some point after he was detained by police on April 12. He died a week later.
The numbers of protesters dissipated substantially just before sunset, though some people were still walking in the streets near Oriole Park at Camden Yards, causing some traffic problems.
Earlier, demonstrators had marched through the streets until they arrived at City Hall. Along the way, whenever it appeared the protest might get out of control, organizers reined the marchers back in.
The event ended after speeches at Baltimore City Hall on Saturday evening, but many protesters continued to vent their anger by marching down to Inner Harbor.
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