An inauguration protest in Washington, D.C., turned confrontational on Friday, as several hundred black-clad protesters broke windows and police responded with pepper spray and a concussive device.
The violence broke out in Northwest D.C., not directly along the parade route.
Patrick Madden, a reporter for member station WAMU, reports that protesters were running through streets, breaking windows with hammers and knocking over trash cans.
He says police, some wearing riot gear, chased the protesters on motorcycles and used the pepper spray and an unidentified concussive device to subdue the demonstration.
At one point, a group of protesters charged and broke the police line, Madden reports.
Video from the area, posted by veteran protest live-streamer Tim Pool, showed police tightly surrounding a group of people coughing from the pepper spray.
Several people on the video identified themselves as lawyers who were observing the protest, and said they were not participating in the protest when they were caught in the group of people being hemmed in by police.
The self-identified lawyers in the group were particularly vocal that their detainment was unjustified.
Meanwhile, at checkpoints along the parade route and sites around downtown D.C., supporters of President-elect Donald Trump gathered to celebrate the inauguration, while other anti-Trump protests continued peacefully.
NPR’s Jessica Taylor described on some of the other protests on NPR’s live coverage of the inauguration:
“NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang reports that there were dozens of protesters chanting ‘No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!’ and ‘We are united!’ in Spanish just outside the security checkpoint at 12th and E streets NW, a block away from the Trump International Hotel. ‘They’re next to people waiting to be screened to enter the parade viewing area. One Trump supporter yelled back in response, “Go Trump!” ‘ Wang reports. …
Black Lives Matter protesters have positioned themselves outside D.C. police headquarters, according to NPR’s Joe Shapiro. Janaya Khan, pictured below, led a group of about 80 people in a chant saying, “That is not my president.’ “
At around 11:30 a.m. EST, a Secret Service spokesperson said all demonstrations are “under police control,” NPR’s Brian Naylor reports.