Extra

Violent Berkeley Protest Ends in Early Morning

Keith Burbank (BCN)
Monday December 08, 2014 - 08:56:00 AM

Berkeley police are reporting this morning that the protest Sunday night and earlier this morning over the failure of a New York grand jury to indict a white officer in the death of an unarmed black man has ended.  

Police officers made five arrests for various charges, said spokeswoman and Berkeley police Officer Jennifer Coats.  

One of the protestors arrested is allegedly responsible for the damage to Trader's Joes that occurred in Saturday night's protests. Police said the protestor used his skateboard to do the damage to the grocery store. 

Police said they arrested another person for throwing a heavy object that injured an officer in Saturday's protests. Both were arrested for those individual offenses as well as alleged offenses during the demonstrations Sunday night through this morning. 

Police did not say what those offenses are. 

Two officers suffered minor, non-life threatening injuries Sunday night, police said. 

A protestor was injured when he was assaulted with a hammer as he tried to stop other protestors from looting a Radio Shack on Shattuck Avenue. The injured protestor was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening, according to the police.  

Demonstrators smashed windows and looted stores, mainly along Shattuck Avenue and Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, police said. The City of Berkeley's Department of Public Works is helping businesses affected by Sunday night's protests board up their windows to secure their property.  

Protests in the Bay Area have been frequent during the past week, and have occurred in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco and other locations.