Fresh skirmishes between police, protestors in Baltimore

After days of mostly peaceful protests, the U.S. city of Baltimore on Saturday witnessed fresh skirmishes between police officers and demonstrators who were demanding answers for the death of a black man under police custody.

Holding signs which read "Black lives matter!", "Justice for Freddie Grey!", hundreds of protesters marched toward the City Hall, outside of which protestors have been rallying for days after the death of Freddie Gray.

The 25-year-old black man died Sunday, a week after he was arrested in West Baltimore. He had sustained spinal cord injuries while in police custody.

As the crowd's passion ran high, some protestors began to pull down the two national flags in front of the City Hall. One man even tried to raise a black and white Stars and Stripe before he was stopped by other demonstrators.

Some 30 police officers stood in front of the protestors to make sure that the rally went on peacefully. The surrounding streets were also closed with policemen on guard.

"Freddie Gray, Freddie Gray!" the crowd shouted before marching to the Inner Harbor.

Outside the landmark baseball park Camden Yards, protestors shouted at police: "Killers!" Some began to throw rocks and water bottles at policemen on horses, while others smashed windows at local businesses. A few people jumped on police cars and smashed the windows of the vehicles.

Dressed in riot gear, police officers formed a wall along several blocks of the Pratt Street, and began to make arrests.

According to Police Commissioner Anthony Batts, twelve people were arrested.

Saturday witnessed the largest gathering of protestors since the start of the rally several days ago.

The Baltimore Police Department urged demonstrators to remain peaceful. Eric Kowalczyk, the department spokesman told a local television that the police were determined to protect the protestor's rights to "peaceful expression".

Different voices were also heard from Baltimore citizens on Saturday.

John Bradley, 38, who is a Baltimore resident, said he watched a video of Gray's arrest. "If you looked at the whole thing, you know you should do something for this young man," Bradley said, "We are here to demand justice for him."

"We Kill Each Other Everyday." wrote by Jowan McKoy in a sign. "We need to look at ourselves in the mirror," the 21-year-old told reporters, "It's not all about police brutality, it's about ourselves and the fact that we kill each other every day. There is never a protest or a march."

A middle-aged man who lives near Balmor court did not join the protest. He refused to tell his name, but shared his feeling about Gray's case. "You see, there are no politicians or lawyers who came out and protested," he said, "You can not just blame the police, there are serious problems in our society and community".