A protest near the Christopher Columbus statue in Chicago’s Grant Park turned violent Friday night, as the crowd started hurling objects at police officers who were guarding the statue, according to reports.
As conditions worsened, dozens of police officers arrived from across the city, FOX 32 of Chicago reported.
The protest began at the park’s Buckingham Fountain, then the crowd moved to the Columbus statue, with some members throwing a rope around it – in an apparent attempt to topple it, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Rioters were heard chanting, “Columbus was a murderer! Columbus was a thief!” the newspaper reported.
As objects flew in the air toward police, some officers were seen hitting some members of the crowd with batons, the Tribune reported.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
