Demonstrations in San Francisco's Union Square escalated Friday evening as several hundred protesters marched on Market Street and some smashed businesses' windows or set off fireworks along the way.
At 9:30 p.m., police reported an officer was injured after a protester threw a bottle at a police car. Broken glass from the thrown bottle caused lacerations to the cop's face, police said. The officer was transported to a hospital.
Another officer was struck by a brick in the chest, according to Sgt. Monica Macdonald.
San Francisco police just after 10 p.m. reported making several arrests. Police said they will not have the final number of arrests until Monday.
Muni service is being rerouted around the demonstration and buses are not serving Market Street, said Muni spokesman Paul Rose. He said Muni is encouraging people to take the subway tonight if they want to reach Market Street.
"It's a pretty fluid situation," Rose said. "We're just monitoring the situation and working with police."
A couple dozen activists gathered at 5 p.m. to protest a grand jury's decision to not indict a police officer who fatally shot an unarmed 18-year-old man in Ferguson, Mo., in August.
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Several hundred protesters tried to enter the square and join the demonstration when police herded them down Market Street.
Protesters could be heard yelling, "Missouri, Palestine, justice now," and "No justice, no peace."
At one point, the window at Crate and Barrel was smashed, along with windows at Grace Jewelry, located at 121 O'Farrell St. An employee at Grace Jewelry said he saw a young man use a sledgehammer to smash the window.
"It's hard to imagine someone being so violent," the employee said.
The Apple store locked their doors and wouldn't let people in or out. A police officer said windows were also broken at the Westfield San Francisco Centre.
The protesters regrouped at Fifth and Market streets, accompanied by a police motorcade and officers in riot gear on both sides of the demonstration, before heading down Market and into the Mission District, where the protest really turned violent.
Some people set off fireworks and chanted, "SFPD, how do you spell murder?" as drivers in cars honked their horns in support.
Cleanup for Friday's protests will took place on Market Street Saturday morning.
The protest happened on a day when people usually spend the day shopping and that was no coincidence.
“Boycott to not buy anything, impacting the system," protester Cornelius Moore said. "Let them know that black people are tired of us being murdered, our young people being murdered.”
Protesters said they will continue marching in the coming weeks.
