Ferguson protesters in LA block lanes on 101 Freeway again

LOS ANGELES -- Ferguson protesters in Los Angeles once again blocked lanes on the 101 Freeway near Alvarado Street Wednesday morning.

According to the California Highway Patrol, two lanes of the northbound and southbound 101 were closed due to protesters at about 9:15 a.m. Eight demonstrators were arrested, and all lanes were reopened by 10 a.m.

"In doing so, they caused a freeway to stop. They put the motoring public in unnecessary risk," said Capt. Brian Pratt with the Los Angeles Police Department. "We had to effect the arrests. We asked them to leave. We basically went through a three-step process: We asked them to leave, we then had to tell them to leave, and then we had to make them leave."

Overnight, dozens of people protesting the Ferguson grand jury decision were arrested for disorderly conduct, according to the LAPD.

Police say 167 protesters were arrested for disturbing the peace, one for felony battery, and 15 juveniles for curfew violations, for a total of 183 arrests. Most people were taken into custody peacefully; no one resisted arrest. The LAPD remained on modified tactical alert Wednesday morning.

The demonstrations started off peaceful but as the night went on, crowds became rowdy. During the arrests, police found a switch blade, pepper spray and a rope with metal pieces tied to it.

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"You'd be able to whip that around and toss that through the air, really hurt somebody really severely with that," said LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman. "When it turns destructive and it endangers other people's rights and their safety, we have to step in."

On Tuesday night, protesters spilled into lanes of the 101 Freeway at Grand Avenue in downtown and blocked traffic in both directions using barricades and debris collected from surface streets. No injuries were reported. Police quickly corralled those on the freeway.

Other protesters congregated on the Grand Avenue overpass before officers forced them across the bridge. The protesters had broken away from a larger group of hundreds who had marched through city streets and to LAPD headquarters.

Crowds also gathered on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at the 110 Freeway briefly, but were stopped by a large police presence. Police were holding the on- and off-ramps secure at the scene to prevent people from marching onto the freeway as happened Monday night. Marchers then began moving northbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

At one point, protesters could be seen surrounding a police car and jumping on top of it. One police officer was injured after he was struck in the head with a frozen water bottle.

Beck said earlier Tuesday that demonstrations on the freeways will no longer be tolerated for safety reasons.

"It's not only dangerous for the protester, it's dangerous for the motoring public and dangerous for the public safety employees that will risked their lives to make sure that the other people involved are safe," Beck said. "We will make arrests if people go up on the freeway."

Three people were arrested Monday night after protesters filled the streets in downtown L.A. and blocked the 110 Freeway.