Garner Protests Marred by Violence, Stolen Champagne

Protests over the killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown continued last night in the Bay Area, beginning peacefully but eventually leading to looting, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Some of the hundreds of demonstrators climbed on police cars, kicking their sirens; others smashed the windows of a Radio Shack; and some looted a Whole Foods store and shared its champagne.

Protesters hurled rocks and bottles at police as officers tried to drive them off a state highway, state highway patrol officers said, per the Los Angeles Times. Someone among the hundreds of demonstrators threw a firework at cops. Police, meanwhile, fired tear gas and arrested eight demonstrators. The outbreaks of violence was met with anger from many fellow demonstrators, who chanted "peaceful protest." When one person stole items from the Radio Shack, others threw them back, reports the Chronicle—though one man trying to stop the violence was hit with a hammer, according to police. (More Berkeley stories.)