WATCH ABOVE: Rioters looted stores and hurled rocks and bricks at Baltimore police Monday just hours after thousands mourned the man who died after suffering a severe spinal injury in police custody.
Images of a chaotic downtown Baltimore emerged Monday as rioters hurled rocks and bricks at police, injuring at least seven officers, as cars and a building were set on fire.
The violent clashes came just hours after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a young black man who mysteriously died of a spinal cord injury while in police custody.
Baltimore police Capt. J. Eric Kowalczyk told reporters that seven officers were injured and one was unresponsive.
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“I don’t know who is out there right now. That is something that we will be able to determine as this event goes along. What we do know is that they are criminals,” Kowalczyk told reporters.
“They attacked officers without provocation, they have no regard for the safety of the people that live in that community. And our officers are working hard to bring about order.”
Kowalczyk said the officers suffered broken bones after people threw bricks, rocks and other items at police.
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READ MORE: Riot erupts in Baltimore after funeral for Freddie Gray, several officers injured
Many of the youths hurling rocks appeared to be wearing backpacks and khaki pants that are a part of public school uniforms in the area. Baltimore police urged parents via Twitter to locate their children and bring them home following the violent confrontations.
Television footage showed rioters hurling rocks at officers and smashing several cars, as police responded with tear gas.
At one point, a police car was surrounded and destroyed by people jumping on it. Officers later arrived to disperse the crowd and one person was tackled and taken into custody.
Video showed several stores being looted including a cheque-cashing business and CVS pharmacy, as people smashed windows and ran out with items. The CVS building was later set on fire as firefighters arrived on scene.
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An attorney for the family of Freddie Gray, Billy Murphy, said they are shocked by the violence in Baltimore and urged for calm.
“They don’t want this movement nationally to be marred by violence,” he told the Associated Press. “It makes no sense.”
The violence Monday followed protests in Baltimore over the weekend that saw thousands of people gathered Saturday to demand answers in the death of Freddie Gray, adding to a national debate on the treatment of minorities by police sparked by the shooting of Michael Brown and more recently by the shooting death of Walter Scott.
READ MORE: Family mourn death of Freddie Gray night after violent Baltimore protests
Protestors voiced their anger during the protests, throwing cans and plastic bottles at police officers. One protester broke the window of a police cruiser, before climbing on top of it with several others.
At least two people were hurt and three others were detained.
Thousands of people gathered peacefully on Sunday at a Baltimore funeral home for Gray’s wake. Mourners also gathered outside the funeral home with signs that read, “We remember Freddie” and “Our hearts are with the Gray family.”
*With files from The Associated Press
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