Violent riots break out in Baltimore as protesters target police

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A police vehicle burns, Monday, April 27, 2015, during unrest following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Riot-gear clad police officers clashed with rock-throwing protesters Monday and several officers were injured as rioters threw bricks and stones and burned patrol cars in violent protests after the funeral of a black man who died in police custody

Rioters plunged parts of Baltimore into chaos Monday, torching a pharmacy, setting police cars ablaze and throwing bricks at officers hours after thousands mourned the man who died from a severe spinal injury he suffered in police custody.

A CCTV America cameraman was roughed up by five men while he was shooting looting taking place at a closed Baltimore shopping mall. He was also hit in the head with an object and the men ran away with his news camera.

“I was shooting looting going on, people bringing boxes across the street, and they caught up with me and started hammering me with punches,” the cameraman said to CCTV America’s Jim Spellman.

With blood dripping down his forehead and face, the cameraman said that he was okay.

“I’m okay I probably need to be checked out, they took the camera. The camera is gone,” the cameraman said.

The cameraman is now receiving medical attention.

Several other journalists were also hurt in the riots and police response.

CCTV’s Jim Spellman is in the middle of the riots in Baltimore, Maryland

The governor declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to restore order. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake imposed a curfew, and said “thugs” trying to tear down city, incite violence. A weeklong, daily curfew was imposed beginning Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the mayor said.

Police said 15 officers have been injured and two remained hospitalized. Officers wearing helmets and wielding shields occasionally used pepper spray to keep the rioters back. For the most part, though, they relied on line formations.

Police said about two dozen protesters had been arrested.

Monday’s riot was the latest flare-up over the mysterious death of Freddie Gray, whose fatal encounter with officers came amid the national debate over police use of force, especially when black suspects are involved. Gray was African-American.

Emergency officials were constantly thwarted as they tried to restore calm. Firefighters trying to put out a blaze at a drug store were hindered by someone who sliced holes in a hose connected to a fire hydrant, spraying water all over the street and nearby buildings.

The smell of burned rubber wafted in the air in one neighborhood where youths were looting a liquor store. Police stood still nearby as people drank looted alcohol. Glass and trash littered the streets, and small fires were scattered about.

“Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs, who in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for, tearing down businesses, tearing down and destroying property, things that we know will impact our community for years,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a lifelong resident of the city.

Gray’s family was shocked by the violence and was lying low; instead, they hoped to organize a peace march later in the week, said family attorney Billy Murphy. He said they did not know the riot was going to happen and urged calm.

“They don’t want this movement nationally to be marred by violence,” he said. “It makes no sense.”

Police urged parents to locate their children and bring them home. Many of those on the streets appeared to be African-American youths, wearing backpacks and khaki pants that are a part of many public school uniforms.

Later in the day, people began looting clothing and other items from stores at the mall, which became unprotected as police moved away from the area. About three dozen officers returned, trying to arrest looters but driving many away by firing pellet guns and rubber bullets.

Many who had never met Gray gathered earlier in the day in a Baltimore church to bid him farewell and press for more accountability among law enforcement. The 2,500-capacity New Shiloh Baptist church was filled with mourners. But even the funeral could not ease mounting tensions.

Police said in a news release sent while the funeral was underway that the department had received a “credible threat” that three notoriously violent gangs are now working together to “take out” law enforcement officers.

The riots broke out just a few blocks from the site of the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in northwest Baltimore and then spread through other parts of the city, after local law enforcement warned of a threat by gangs.

“It’s a large group of people spread out over a pretty significant area. Our officers are deploying as quickly as they can. Our primary concerns right now is making sure that our officers stay safe,” Baltimore Police Spokesman Captain Eric Kowalczyk said. “We have seven officers who were injured during the course this. They have broken bones. One of them is unresponsive. This is not ok.”

Six Baltimore police officers involved in Gray’s arrest have been suspended during the investigation into the exact cause of his death, according to the AP.


Matthew Durington from Towson University on the riots in Baltimore
For more on the riots in Baltimore and concerns over police brutality, CCTV America interviewed Matthew Durington, an anthropology professor from Towson University.

A man throws a brick at police Monday, April 27, 2015, following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A man throws a brick at police Monday, April 27, 2015, following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A demonstrator taunts police as they respond to thrown objects, Monday, April 27, 2015, after the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A demonstrator taunts police as they respond to thrown objects, Monday, April 27, 2015, after the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

 

Baltimore police officers detain a demonstrator after clashes with police, after the funeral of Freddie Gray, on Monday, April 27, 2015, at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Baltimore police officers detain a demonstrator after clashes with police, after the funeral of Freddie Gray, on Monday, April 27, 2015, at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore. Gray died from spinal injuries about a week after he was arrested and transported in a Baltimore Police Department van. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

 

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 27: Baltimore Police officers confront protestors on Reisterstown Road near Mondawmin Mall, April 27, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The funeral service for Freddie Gray, who died last week while in Baltimore Police custody, was held on Monday morning. Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 27: Baltimore Police officers confront protestors on Reisterstown Road near Mondawmin Mall, April 27, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The funeral service for Freddie Gray, who died last week while in Baltimore Police custody, was held on Monday morning. Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 27: Baltimore Police officers use tear gas to disperse protesters outside the Mondawmin Mall following the funeral of Freddie Gray April 27, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Gray, 25, who was arrested for possessing a switch blade knife April 12 outside the Gilmor Homes housing project on Baltimore's west side. According to his attorney, Gray died a week later in the hospital from a severe spinal cord injury he received while in police custody.   Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 27: Baltimore Police officers use tear gas to disperse protesters outside the Mondawmin Mall following the funeral of Freddie Gray April 27, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Gray, 25, who was arrested for possessing a switch blade knife April 12 outside the Gilmor Homes housing project on Baltimore’s west side. According to his attorney, Gray died a week later in the hospital from a severe spinal cord injury he received while in police custody. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

 

Reporting by Reuters