This post has been updated:
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department announced Friday that it had made “numerous arrests” after Inauguration Day-related vandalism was reported in downtown Washington, D.C.
“At approximately 10:30 a.m., an organized group was observed marching south in Northwest Washington,” the MPD said in a statement. “On their way, members of the group acting in a concerted effort engaged in acts of vandalism and several instances of destruction of property. More specifically, the group damaged vehicles, destroyed the property of multiple businesses, and ignited smaller isolated fires while armed with crowbars, hammers and asps.”
MPD Statement on Acts of Vandalism earlier today: pic.twitter.com/uWQS2OT7SI
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 20, 2017
Police didn’t identify motives or the alleged perpetrators in their statement, but reports from scene indicated that the vandalism arose out of anti-Trump protests.
In the hours leading up to the Inauguration ceremony, journalists had reported that there has been cases of vandalism, alongside protests, particularly in the downtown area near the White House.
Protesters smash windows at Bank of America, Starbucks in Northwest D.C. on #InaugurationDay. (Video courtesy: @jclothiaux11) pic.twitter.com/1R9CC5fUaH
— WUSA9 (@wusa9) January 20, 2017
According to Reuters, some of the protesters were marching behind a banner that said “Make Racists Afraid Again” as some knocked over garbage cans and smashed in street windows.
The site of much of the chaos, the Washington Post reported, was 13th and K, a few blocks from the White House. There protestors wearing black and describing themselves as anti-capitalist and antifascist attempted to set newspaper boxes and garbage cans on fire, according to the Post.
Minor vandalism on 13th street. @wcp box set on fire. Bus station smashed. pic.twitter.com/PYpEcTvzuv
— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) January 20, 2017
Smashed windows. pic.twitter.com/yXin6JVMsH
— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) January 20, 2017
Protests turn violent in central Washington with shop & bank windows smashed on Donald Trump’s #InaugurationDay https://t.co/3dAngYF0eY pic.twitter.com/DdNvdy4Ijm
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 20, 2017
I’ve left the DAPL protest and am moving north, where apparently things got a bit smashy. pic.twitter.com/SCaPQYmmGq
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) January 20, 2017
14th and K, 10:52 am: looks like some people get pretty cranky without their caffeine … pic.twitter.com/7hEV9EKGko
— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) January 20, 2017
Protesters smash windows of Bank of America, police moving in pic.twitter.com/lJZDQSwagB
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) January 20, 2017
Protesters just smashed the windows of this limo, threw in a flare pic.twitter.com/KMeXIbzBHH
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) January 20, 2017
According to U.S. News and World Reports’ Steven Nelson, about 100 of the protestors calling themselves anarchists have been corralled by the police at 12th and L Streets, and a few are being arrested.
Prob about 100 anarchists surrounded at L/12th #Inauguration #disruptj20 pic.twitter.com/Jm9sjpj9Sl
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) January 20, 2017
Second arrest made. I have not yet been given chance to leave. IDed myself but was shoved into anarchists w batons as group surrounded
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) January 20, 2017
Defiance after first person led away #Inauguration #disruptj20 #yourefired pic.twitter.com/LoqmA6yBzx
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) January 20, 2017
