12 police officers were hurt as they tried to break up a ‘hostile’ crowd throwing bottles and fireworks at them early Tuesday morning in San Francisco.
At around 12:39 a.m., officers responded to the 24th and Harrison streets area and found a large crowd and a fire.
The police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly and ordered people to leave “due to the risk of public safety and property.”
The crowd members then started throwing glass bottles and setting off “explosive devices” in the direction of the officers. According to the police, all 12 officers experienced ringing in their ears, and 2 suffered minor burns from the debris of an “exploding device.”
All injuries were non-life-threatening.
Eventually, officers managed to control the crowd as fire units doused the fire.
No arrests have been made as of late Tuesday morning.
“The San Francisco Police Department is committed to facilitating the public’s right to peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights,” police said in a statement. “The Department does not tolerate violence against police officers or any member of the community. We ask that everyone exercising their First Amendment rights be considerate, respectful, and mindful of the safety of others.”
