Authorities have arrested 235 people, the vast majority adults, during the Baltimore protests stemming from the death of a black man in police custody earlier this month.
While a number of high-school-aged children participated at the start of the riots, Baltimore Police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said Tuesday that only 34 of those arrested have been juveniles. He added that the police had initially been prepared to quell a protest by teenagers and had to adapt as the situation changed.
{mosads}“When we deployed our officers yesterday, we were deploying for a high school event. I don’t think there is anyone in the country that would expect us to deploy automatic weapons and armored vehicles to an event with 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds,” Kowalczyk said at a press conference.
“What we saw that turn in to yesterday was an incident that escalated in violence, and the age group of those involved increased as well.”
At least 20 officers have been injured in the demonstrations that turned violent in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who slipped into a coma and died after a severe spinal injury he sustained while in police custody.
“We know that there are certain parts of our community that have fear, we have an obligation to keep the city safe,” Kowalczyk said.
“We will respond quickly and efficiently to incidents that take place, but we are hoping that we don’t see any of those today.”
President Obama on Tuesday condemned the violence, saying “criminals and thugs” were exploiting Gray’s death, though he added that there were more difficult social problems underlying the tensions.
“This has been a slow-rolling crisis that has been going on for a long time,” he said. “This is not new, and we should not pretend that it’s new.”
Rioters caused 144 vehicle fires, and there is currently one person in critical condition after a structure fire. But the scene on Tuesday has largely been quiet, as a crowd continues to assemble in West Baltimore, according to Kowalczyk.
“That crowd is peaceful, and that is what we are used to seeing in Baltimore: A group of people that come together peacefully to express their concern, to voice their frustration and to do so in a peaceful manner,” he said.
“That’s what we hope we will continue to see.”
The city implemented a 10 p.m. curfew in the hopes of keeping the streets quiet past dark. Wednesday’s MLB game between the Orioles and White Sox will be played in an empty ballpark, as the event has been closed to the public.