Protesters faced off against police in violent clashes across Washington, DC, on Wednesday night with video capturing looting, fireworks being thrown at officers, and a short-lived siege of a local precinct.
Wednesday night’s protests began with a vigil in honor of 20-year-old Karon Hylton, who was struck by a motorist while he was riding a scooter on Friday, before succumbing to his injuries and passing away Monday.
The vigil was led by Hylton’s mother Karen at the location where the fatal crash occurred. The deceased’s family allege that a police chase prior to the crash was directly to blame for the young man’s death.
The tone of the evening became more chaotic and violent as the night wore on, with footage appearing to show multiple incidents of protesters and police clashing on the streets of the capital for the second night in a row.
Also on rt.com DC police unleash tear gas & stun grenades in clashes with protesters after man dies in botched traffic stop (VIDEO)Bicycle-mounted police set up security perimeters in the area to try and contain protesters on Wednesday night, while an increasingly aggressive crowd laid siege to the Fourth District police station, as a military helicopter patrolled overhead.
Agitators among the crowd reportedly threw a trash can and shattered one of the precinct's windows, at which point police used flash bangs and a chemical spray to disperse the crowd.
Eyewitness footage from the scene shows that officers across the city were met with torrents of verbal abuse and pelted with missiles including fireworks.
A police spokesman said rocks and brick were thrown at officers, four of whom sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Another video shows a crowd of protesters surrounding a police vehicle with officers still inside.
Meanwhile, yet more footage shared online captured a Walgreens store being looted before bicycle police swooped in and cleared the area.
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