15 Police Officers Injured in Baltimore Violence; 2 Remain Hospitalized
Rocks, bricks thrown at police; Businesses looted
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard after rioters looted stores and hurled rocks and bricks at Baltimore police Monday, injuring fifteen officers.
"The National Guard represents a last resort to restore order," Hogan said Monday evening.
Twenty-seven people have been arrested in the riot, which started just hours after the funeral for Freddie Gray, who died of an unexplained spinal injury while in police custody.
Hogan said he activated the National Guard immediately after the request from Baltimore Mayor.
The National Guard will have up to 5,000 members available to support Baltimore police, depending on how much personnel the city requests, Maryland National Guard Adjutant General Linda Singh said.
Baltimore City Public Schools will be closed Tuesday.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake also will impose a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for a week beginning Tuesday.
"Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for," the mayor said at a press conference "Tearing down businesses, destroying property -- things that we know will impact our community for years."
About 200 mostly men marched arm-in-arm through a neighborhood littered with broken glass, flattened aluminum cans and other debris, and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D- Md.) was among them. As the group approached Fulton Avenue, getting close to a line of police officers, the marchers went down on their knees.
After the ministers got back on their feet, they walked until they were face-to-face with the police officers in a tight formation and wearing riot gear.
Neighborhood residents were standing on their stoops, taking pictures. Some clapped their hands.
The marches were protesting the police-custody death of Freddie Gray.
Police lined up Monday evening in front of Mondawmin Mall, where the violence started Monday afternoon, after looters got inside. As three dozen police entered the mall, looters began running and driving away.
Earlier, rioters torched a CVS pharmacy and set police cars ablaze. One of the Baltimore Fire Department's hoses was cut at West North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue as firefighters were attempting to put out the fire. Nearby, liquor stores were busted open and being looted, The Associated Press reported.
- News4's coverage of the violence in Baltimore continues on Cozi TV. Click here to find where to watch. Live coverage returns to NBC4 at 10 p.m.
"I strongly condemn the actions of the offenders who are engaged in direct attacks against innocent civilians, businesses and law enforcement officers," Hogan said in a statement. "There is a significant difference between protesting and violence and those committing these acts will be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law."
Hogan and President Barack Obama have been in contact with Rawlings-Blake, offering assistance as needed.
Lawyers for Gray's family said they are begging people to stop the violence.
"Our officers are working as quickly and as appropriately as they can to bring about order in the area of Mondawmin and affect arrests of the criminals who violently and without provocation attacked our police officers," Baltimore Police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said.
The Baltimore Orioles said in a tweet that Monday night's game against the Chicago White Sox has been cancelled after consulting with city police.
The clash started near the Mondawmin Mall and spread out over the Liberty Heights area as a line of police officers pushed them back.
Kowalczyk declined to speculate on the cause of the unrest but said they received a threat Monday morning they determined to be credible.
Due to the large number of juveniles in the violent groups, police are asking parents to find their children and bring them home.
Kowalczyk said one officer is unresponsive and others have broken bones after people threw bricks, rocks and other items at police.
A Maryland Transit Police lieutenant was attacked and injured at Penn North station, and two agency vehicles were burned, including one that became engulfed in flames on W. North Avenue near Pennsylvania Avenue.
Transit Police dispatched 150 officers to protect transit stations, and MTA closed the Mondawmin, Upton and Penn North metro stations for more than two hours.
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In a series of Tweets, police said they heard reports of groups setting fires around the area. Earlier, a photographer was shoved and kicked in the back.
Police are receiving reports of people looting businesses in that area. People could be seen looting a CVS and a check-cashing business. Earlier windows were broken
At one point, a police car was surrounded and destroyed by people jumping on it. As officers arrived, one person was taken into custody.
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Officers are using pepper-spray to keep the protesters back.
"We're doing what we do in these situations to bring about order," Kowalczyk said. "You're going to see tear gas; you're going to see pepper balls. We're going to use appropriate methods to ensure that we're able to preserve the safety of that community."
A flier circulated on social media called for a period of violence Monday afternoon to begin at the Mondawmin Mall and move downtown toward City Hall.
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"We're not going to speculate as to what this is related to," Kowalczyk said as sirens blared. "We're dealing with the situation right now; you can hear officers responding out there behind me. Right now our focus is making sure that the people that live in that community are safe, and that our officers are safe."
One man at the mall held his arms up as the police moved toward him, an action that has been repeated throughout the Gray rallies.
Outside the mall, a young person threw a flaming trash can at the line of officers, igniting a patch of grass nearby. Police said at least one officer was injured after being hit by a flying brick.
Several more officers were hurt in the area of Gwynns Falls/Liberty Heights. Baltimore Police called the group there "violent and aggressive." The group was reportedly throwing bricks at officers and refusing to disperse. Several more officers were hurt here.
"The crowd is not obeying our dispersal orders," Baltimore Police wrote on Twitter.
Kowalczyk didn't have an estimate on the size of the group but called it a large group spread out over a significant area.
Police said members of the group are setting small items on fire. Officers are using fire extinguishers to put out the fires.
The first National Guard unit likely to be sent in will be made up of members of the 176th Infantry Battalion, Guard public affairs officer Col. Charles Kohler. Those troops have special training for situations like this. They've trained in crowd control and the use of force, especially using only as much force as is necessary to maintain order.
Maryland State Police sent an additional 40 troopers to assist Baltimore police at 7:30 p.m., bringing the number of troopers in Baltimore to 82.
Prince George's County Police also sent 30 officers to help. Two were struck by rocks Monday afternoon, suffering minor injuries.
Montgomery County Police sent about 40 personnel Monday, including members of the Special Event Response Team.
Anne Arundel County Police sent at least 30 officers, Baltimore County Police sent 40 and Howard County Police sent 21.
The dignitaries who attended Gray's funeral included long-time activist Dick Gregory, former Maryland representative and NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume, and current Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes.
The casket was rolled out of the church with his family following behind. Within minutes, the entire church was empty, leaving the musicians to play a rousing processional.
As people left, there was an image of Gray projected on the screens flanking the altar. It showed him wearing a striped polo shirt, baseball cap, pants and sneakers. The front of the program read, "Loving Memory, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr."
The University of Maryland campus in downtown Baltimore shut down its campus at 2 p.m., saying it has been warned by the Baltimore Police Department that "activities" in the area may turn violent. It wasn't immediately clear whether the activities had anything to do with Gray.
In an alert to students and staff, the university says "the safety of our students and employees is of paramount importance. Please vacate the campus as soon as possible."
School spokesman Alex Likowski said he didn't know what type of activity might be passing through campus or what prompted the warning from police.
The Maryland Institute of College Art decided to close at 5:30 p.m. Students on campus were advised not to leave campus and students at home were advised to stay away from the area.
Loyola advised its community to avoid the area. "While the current events are not near campus, students should exercise caution during this time."
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