31 Adults, 4 Juveniles Arrested In Freddie Gray Protest
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Thousands of protesters made their way around the city---some coming from as far as Ferguson---to remember 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Baltimore was certainly in the national spotlight...but for all the wrong reasons.
Baltimore Police say 31 adults and four juveniles were arrested; six officers suffered minor injuries on Saturday.
Derek Valcourt has more.
Sky Eye Chopper 13 over the scene as a small number of the hundreds of protestors unleash a flurry of destruction in the downtown area Saturday night.
Some could be seen jumping on cars, breaking windshields, throwing burning trash cans--the violence even erupted near Camden Yards just before a baseball game.
Protestors began throwing things at by-standers, they smashed through storefronts and looted some businesses.
Officers had things thrown at them and some were spit at.
Freddie Gray's sister, Fredericka Gray, joined with city leaders Saturday night calling for peace.
"Can ya'll please stop the violence Freddie gray would not want this," she said.
Police responded with more than 1,200 officers attempting to control Saturday night's situation.
Police say they arrested 35 people in all, 4 of them juveniles.
Six officers were also injured, police said.
"Rioting violence and looting will not be tolerated in our city," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Tonight the mayor joined with community and religious leaders to denounce the destructive turn to the otherwise peaceful protests.
"The violence that we're seeing and such disrespect of people and property is a distraction to the work that needs to happen to heal our city," she said.
Though almost all of the arrestees were from Baltimore, the mayor blamed some outsiders for inciting the violence.
"Many of the people who weren't from our community were in essence trying to hijack the very raw emotions of some of those who live in Baltimore," she said.
The investigation into the death of Freddie Gray continues. Police have vowed to turn over all of their investigative findings to the Office of the City State's Attorney this upcoming Friday. It will then be up to the City State's Attorney what if any charges the officers involved could face. Meantime, it's still unknown when she will make that announcement.