Demonstrators Arrested at Baltimore City Hall: Police

Several people were reportedly arrested Thursday after an overnight sit-in at City Hall in Baltimore.

Some of the demonstrators were students, at least two of them juveniles, according to the Associated Press.

The demonstration at City Hall began Wednesday night during a meeting of the appropriations committee, which approved of the appointment of Kevin Davis as police commissioner. Davis has been serving as interim police commissioner since July.

Related: Baltimore Closer to Appointing New Police Commissioner

Police said there were 50 peaceful protesters in the balcony area during the hearing.

The demonstrators took issue with what they said were the tactics of Davis in handling protests, such as allegedly planting armed undercover officers among activists and forcing protesters into the streets, then detaining them for impeding traffic, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The hearing was over by 10 p.m. Wednesday, yet demonstrators reportedly remained inside City Hall until the wee hours of Thursday morning.

It was then that Baltimore Police took some of them into custody.

“After hours of communication and warnings, a small number of protesters inside of City Hall decided to leave the building. The remaining protesters refused to leave the building. As a direct result of their failure to comply, the remaining protesters have been arrested and charged with trespassing,” Baltimore Police said in a statement Thursday.

Those taken into custody ranged from 16 to 38 years old and included a 26-year-old from Columbia and a 38-year-old from Burtonsville, the Associated Press reported.

Davis said he understood the demonstration was a reflection of the current state of affairs in Baltimore.

“This is just part of where the city is right now,” Davis told Reuters. “And if we’re going to get through to the other side, we’ve gotta go through all these moments.”

Screenshot from Ruptly TV/YouTube video from demonstrators at City Hall meeting on Oct. 14. 2015.