OAKLAND, Calif – Two men were arrested and an officer was sent to a hospital during an Oakland anti-police march through downtown Oakland streets Friday night, police said.
The planned march was part of nationwide demonstrations in response to an officer-involved shooting in Ferguson, Missouri that happened one week ago.
Most of the people in the march Friday night were protesting peacefully, however, a small group of people became violent and pepper sprayed officers, police said.
One officer was transported to a hospital after being assaulted by several people while trying to make an arrest, according to police.
Police said that a 45-year-old Oakland man was arrested in connection the assault at Third and Castro streets around 7:30 p.m.
About two hours later in the 5200-block of Telegraph Avenue, a 41-year-old Hayward man was arrested on suspicion of obstructing, delaying and resisting police officers, according to police.
Oakland anti-police march Update
The march started at 14th Street and Broadway near Frank H. Ogawa Plaza at 6 p.m. then moved down Telegraph Avenue towards Berkeley.
The protestors also vandalized multiple businesses, wrote graffiti, broke windows and disrupted traffic, police said.
A number of windows on Telegraph Avenue were broken during the march, including those at the Bank of the West at 4800 Telegraph Ave., Taste of Denmark Bakery, Telegraph Lofts, Article Pract, and 2855 Telegraph Ave.
The demonstration comes after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. Brown was unarmed during the shooting and there are conflicting reports about the events that led to his death.
Police in Ferguson identified Brown as a suspect in a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store prior to the shooting.
Brown’s shooting triggered protests and racial tensions in Ferguson, a largely black community with a largely white police force.
The heavily armed police response there, which included the use of tear gas, has drawn national criticism and triggered protests in cities around the country.