Warning, graphic language: Protesters clash with police in DC
Raw video: Police in Washington, D.C. take 41 people into custody after they say a reported Black Lives Matter demonstration turned unruly.
Police in Washington, D.C., took 41 people into custody overnight after an apparent Black Lives Matter demonstration turned unruly.
The arrests, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, were for charges including felony rioting and assault on a police officer.
“We facilitate daily peaceful demonstrations in DC,” the department said in a tweet, but “overnight, intentional fires were set & property [was] destroyed.
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“When this occurs, our members have a responsibility to take action,” it added.
The protesters were affiliated with Black Lives Matter, ABC7 reported, with demonstrators telling the station they were marching to let people know they are making demands.
They also claimed some of the officers pepper-sprayed the crowds.
At one point in the night, the protesters gathered around a police precinct in the city’s Adams Morgan neighborhood, according to WTOP.
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D.C. police said there is “a difference between peaceful protestors & individuals destroying property or setting fires."
“Yes, MPD did make numerous arrests last night but only of those that were engaged in rioting behaviors,” it added in a tweet.
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