Police Say 21 Officers Injured After Protesters Shut Down I-94

St. Paul, MN – About 100 arrests were made last night in St. Paul after demonstrators blocked Interstate 94 to protest police fatally shooting a black man.

KARE 11 reported that the group marched from the governor's mansion in St. Paul around 7 p.m. The Minnesota State Patrol failed to stop them from entering the freeway around 7:30 p.m.

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According to the Star Tribune, police said 21 officers were injured after protesters began pelting them with rocks, bottles, fireworks, and bricks.

The State Patrol said six of its troopers suffered minor injuries.

St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell also denounced the incident, saying "This is the first time in my 28 years we have observed this level of violence toward our public servants."

"It’s really a disgrace," Axtell added. The protesters "turned into criminals. I am absolutely disgusted, [and] I am not going to tolerate it. … I just can’t believe this occurred. This is just something that doesn’t happen in St. Paul.”

At one point, as many as 300 people were spread across both the eastbound and westbound lanes.

According to the New York Times, protesters marching down the interstate were chanting refrains such as "We’re peaceful, y’all violent."

For more than four hours, officers worked to disperse the crowd, deploying smoke and marking rounds.

Around 11:15 p.m., police began arresting people and escorting them to a Metro Transit bus.

About 50 of the total arrests came during the "freeway riot."

KARE 11 reporter Adrienne Broaddus captured video of the protests on I-94.

The city eventually deployed snowplows to clear debris before the highway was reopened to traffic.

This is not the first time demonstrators have blocked a Minnesota highway. Protesters blocked traffic on I-94 late last year following the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark, and traffic on I-35W was blocked in 2014.

On Sunday while in Spain, President Barack Obama urged protesters and police officers to treat one another with respect.

"In a movement like Black Lives Matter there are always going to be folks who say things that are stupid or imprudent or over generalized or harsh," Obama said.

“Even rhetorically,” Obama continued, “if we paint police officers with a broad brush — without recognizing that the vast majority of police officers are doing a really good job and are trying to protect people, and do so fairly and without racial bias — if the rhetoric does not recognize that, then we’re going to lose allies in the reform process.”

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar also weighed in on the protest via Twitter.

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