Protesters, NYPD clash on Brooklyn Bridge

A group of protesters clashed with members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) on the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday morning, leading to arrests and police injuries.

An NYPD spokesperson told The Hill that 36 people were arrested on the bridge and three officers were seriously injured. The injuries are still being evaluated, they said. 

Demonstrators for a planned march against gun violence were met by counterprotesters along their route on the bridge, CBS New York reported. More than a dozen counterprotesters reportedly walked into traffic and sat in the middle of the road, blocking cars from getting past. 

PIX11 footage from slightly before 10 a.m. shows counterprotesters and police were engaged in a standoff before they dispersed as police advanced. Police took several people to the ground and arrested them.

Officers on bicycles chased and surrounded a protester, who was fleeing and knocked some of the bikes and officers to the ground.

Watch: Police and protesters clashed on the Brooklyn Bridge, resulting in several arrests and injuries to officers.

For more details: https://t.co/h1Ip92GJHJ pic.twitter.com/MY4FniVS9O

— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) July 15, 2020

NYPD released video footage showing a demonstrator hitting an officer on the head with a stick while other officers were making an arrest. 

“Three officers violently attacked by protesters crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The officers sustained serious injuries,” the NYPD posted on Twitter. “This is not a peaceful protest, this will not be tolerated.”

Three officers violently attacked by protesters crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. The officers sustained serious injuries.

This is not peaceful protest, this will not be tolerated. pic.twitter.com/cYuDX8G7ku

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 15, 2020

The video was accompanied by photos showing the three officers with injuries on the face and head. Another photo showed Chief of Department Terence Monahan, who suffered “non-threatening injuries,” police told the New York Post.

The planned peaceful protest against gun violence was expected to move from Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn to City Hall in Manhattan, according to PIX11. At the Brooklyn park, the demonstrators gathered to call for a stop of violence and to spark discussions about racial justice and police reforms, CBS New York reported.

Bishop Gerald Seabrooks, the president of the United Clergy Coalition who led the peaceful protest, told CBS New York that the division shown on the bridge is what they are trying to avoid.

“Let’s stop the violence. The people who are getting hurt right now while people are coming against the police officers is the African-American community,” Seabrooks said. “No, we need the police. What we’re saying is we don’t want police brutality.”

The counterprotesters told CBS New York that they believed the march was too supportive of police.