Mayor on May Day unrest: 'Once they decided to go violent, the march was over,' arrests made



SEATTLE -- Seattle Mayor Ed Murray visited three police officers at the hospital who were injured in the May Day violence Friday and said authorities moved in when the protesters "decided to go violent."

"Once they decided to go violent, the march was over," Murray told Q13 FOX News outside Harborview Medical Center.

"We had a group of individuals who decided they were going to be violent. So the march quickly went violent. And the officers made the appropriate decision to stop that march at that point. Regrettably it stopped on Capitol Hill."

Murray said the three injured police officers "are doing good," adding that the worst had a dislocated shoulder.

Murray said, "We are getting the police response right."

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole, who was with the mayor, said officers were prepared to "escort" the marchers through the downtown area. "When the march became violent early on, we made a decision to stop it right then and there," she said.

She added that they decided to push the group back to their point of origin -- Seattle  Central Community College.

Protesters have been seen throwing bricks, overturning dumpsters, and wielding sticks and other weapons.

In a late Friday night statement issued earlier by the mayor's office, he said:

"Seattle celebrates free speech, the right to assemble and freedom of the press. People are raising their voices across the nation, working constructively to advance issues of racial equity and justice in our society. During this moment in history, peaceful protest and civil disobedience can be effective vehicles of social change. The City of Seattle prepared extensively to protect the rights of peaceful protesters to express their anger at racism and injustice.

"What erupted tonight is a very different story. Tonight we saw assaults on police officers and senseless property damage, which cannot be tolerated. Those who are violent will be arrested. We will work to disperse groups that are threatening the safety of our residents and businesses."