Philadelphia street protests snarl traffic; hundreds arrested

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- Police arrested nearly 300 people after protesters formed human chains to block rush hour traffic before the evening session of the Republican National Convention.

Some of the hundreds of protesters demonstrating on Tuesday clashed with police, injuring six officers -- including the commissioner -- and damaging 25 patrol cars. Police arrested 282 people.

At the intersection of Broad and Spruce streets in Philadelphia, a line of officers surround a group of demonstrators in what appears to be a standoff

The protesters struck in rapid succession at several locations in what police called "a cat and mouse game" around the heart of the Center City, miles from the convention hall. The crowds started breaking up around nightfall, and some of the demonstrations were more festive than frightful.

But, said Mayor John Street, "There were some people who crossed the line today and we will not tolerate that."

The demonstrators rallied against issues including the death penalty, corporate greed and global capitalism.

"We're here basically protesting the entire (Republican) platform, their view towards immigrants. And we think that's wrong and we are taking it to the streets because we don't have the millions of dollars that the corporations have to show our voice," one demonstrator said.

A 'coordinated eruption'

"I don't know what the message was, but it certainly had a violent component," said police spokesman David Yarnell, adding that the number of arrests could grow.

He said the demonstrations appeared to be "a coordinated eruption," but the protests did not succeed in creating gridlock -- though it did disrupt the nightly commuter exodus --or delaying the start of the GOP gathering.

About 250 of those arrested were charged with misdemeanors. Police Commissioner John Timoney said charges of felonious assault would be filed against about 10 of those arrested. Two of those taken into custody were juveniles.

Timoney said police believe the instigators of the first violent protests following three days of convention-related demonstrations had come to the city by bus from New York earlier in the day.

In one protest, police said demonstrators threw bottles at officers. Yarnell said four officers were doused in the face with some kind of liquid, and one required hospitalization.

In another incident, Timoney and one of his officers were injured when a protester threw Timoney's police patrol bicycle at the other officer. Timoney suffered scrapes and bruises trying to arrest the suspect, police said.

Vandals punctured the tires of five patrol cars and a city recreation vehicle parked near City Hall, threw orange paint on them and sprayed grafitti slogans calling for the release of a man on death row, a witness said.

Demonstrators also sprayed grafitti on nearby buildings, but clean-up crews arrived soon thereafter and scrubbed the slogans from the walls.

Dozens were arrested at a warehouse in West Philadelphia that police suspect was a command center for the Center City rallies. Officers found supplies of protest puppets shaped and painted as skeletons.

Traffic was diverted from the areas, which were miles from the convention center in South Philadelphia. Police showed up in force on horses and bicycles, in patrol cars and vans and on foot.

'Shut down capitalism'

At the demonstrations, activists carried signs saying "Shut Down Capitalism," "Stop Police Terrorism" and "Pentagon Out of Vieques," a reference to a military bombing range on an island off Puerto Rico. Other protesters burned an American flag.

Near the intersection of 16th and Callowhill streets, protesters chained themselves together using plastic pipe and they sprawled on the street leading to the on-ramp of an expressway. The devices are known as sleeping dragons.

At the intersection of Broad and Spruce streets, a line of officers surrounded another group of demonstrators in what appeared to be a standoff.

At the intersection of 15th and Walnut streets, police spokeswoman Stephanie McNeil said that roughly 600 protesters, some of them wearing gas masks and rain coats, threw bottles and red paint.

In another incident, police surrounded a warehouse on the west side after being tipped that illegal activity was taking place there. There were about 60 people inside. They were led away one by one, arrested, and then taken from the scene in buses.

Dozens of officers blocked streets in front of the building and at least one was on the roof.

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