After an hours-long face-off in Fort Worth Sunday night, police officers and state troopers used tear gas to clear protesters off the West 7th Street Bridge.
After an hours-long face-off in Fort Worth Sunday night, police officers and state troopers used tear gas to clear protesters off the West 7th Street Bridge.
Images captured by Texas Sky Ranger before sunset showed dozens of people holding signs and standing in front of a line of police.
Officers stopped protesters on the west side of the bridge as the marched from downtown because some said they planned to damage property and businesses further down West 7th Street, Fort Worth police Ofc. Tracy Carter said.
He said the police department welcomed protests but asked that participants do so peacefully.
Around 10 p.m., Fort Worth police officers and Texas Department of Public Safety state troopers started to push the crowd back, walking them east toward downtown. Police said protesters in the crowd threw frozen water bottles towards law enforcement, prompting SWAT units to deploy smoke bombs and flashbangs to deter the violence, according to a police news release.
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Protesters who were undeterred by tear gas and flashbangs continued to throw frozen water bottles and fire polytechnics towards officers, police said.
Meanwhile, police were called to reports of looting along Montgomery Plaza/West 7th District. Video from the area showed windows of several businesses smashed.
At least one person was arrested during the protest, Carter said. No injuries were reported as of 11:15 p.m.
He said Fort Worth police were assisted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies.
Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles could be seen westbound driving down Interstate 30 towards Fort Worth just after 8 p.m.
According to Andrew M. Greenstein of NBC 5's media partner NewsRadio 1080 KRLD, the protest started outside the Tarrant County Courthouse, moved through downtown Fort Worth, along Weatherford Street to West 7th Street.
Sunday's face-off was the most strained confrontation between protesters and authorities in Fort Worth, where rallies and marches Friday and Saturday were largely peaceful.
