National

Protests Over Police Killings Turn Violent In Berkeley, Calif.

by Scott Neuman

A protester flees as police officers try to disperse a crowd comprised largely of student demonstrators during a protest against police violence in the U.S., in Berkeley, California early Sunday.
A protester flees as police officers try to disperse a crowd comprised largely of student demonstrators during a protest against police violence in the U.S., in Berkeley, California early Sunday. Noah Berger / Reuters/Landov

Police in Berkeley, Calif., used smoke, flares and rubber bullets against demonstrators who turned unruly overnight amid rallies to protest the police killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York.

"They fired rubber bullets and some smoke grenades," Tawanda Kanhema, a video journalist who was on the street in front of Trader Joe's, was quoted by The San Jose Mercury News. Kanhema estimated there were at least 1,500 protesters and 100 law enforcement personnel.

The Associated Press, quoting a Berkeley police spokeswoman, says two officers were injured.

One officer was hospitalized for a dislocated shoulder after being hit with a sandbag, while another sustained minor injuries, police spokeswoman Jenn Coats said, according to AP.

The news agency says:

"Scores of law officers from several surrounding agencies joined Berkeley Police Department in trying to quell unrest that went on for hours, into early Sunday morning.

"[Coats] said several businesses on University Avenue were vandalized, including Trader Joe's, Radio Shack and a Wells Fargo Bank branch. Some squad cars were also damaged."

Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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