Day two of protests over the death of a 20-year-old father ended with flashbangs being deployed, chemical irritants being sprayed into a crowd and DC Police reporting multiple officer injuries and arrests. But the night began back where Karon Hylton lost his life.
A small group of friends and family gathered at the intersection of 7th and Kennedy streets Northwest, preparing to march to the Fourth District police station to demand answers for the second night in a row. DC Police say Hylton crashed and died after they attempted a traffic stop for riding a moped on the sidewalk without a helmet.
But community members said they wanted body camera footage and a full police report from the incident to be released.
Led by Hylton's mother, the crowd began a .7-mile walk to police headquarters, gaining supporters as they marched.
"Justice for Karon, justice for Karon, justice for Karon," Hylton's mother said, with tears in her eyes. "Somebody has to answer. Bowser, please come to 4D."
Maureen Brown, an organizer of the protest, said they want to see the officers involved in the attempted traffic stop fired.
"We need to take action on this officer," Brown said. "This kid didn't deserve this."
At the station, officers had prepared for possible protest activity, with fencing around the building and lines of cops in riot gear on bikes, after the previous night's protests led to smashed windows and six injured officers. Protesters quickly broke through the fencing, and police held the line for several hours.
Just before 10 p.m., WUSA9 reporters witnessed a large line of officers marching down Georgia Avenue, pushing protesters back and chanting "move." Officers were seen spraying irritants into the crowd of protesters and utilizing flashbangs.
"We’re just tired of it," Brown said. "We’re a community that comes together. As you can see we love Karon.”
D.C. police said several officers sustained injuries Wednesday. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham confirmed during a Thursday news conference that 14 officers were injured -- eight were hit by explosives, four were hit by rocks/bricks -- and eight protesters were arrested.