DC Protesters Drag Rioter Into Police Custody

Cellphones captured the dramatic moment peaceful protesters dragged a rioter out of their ranks and into the police's.

Footage posted online shows the man, his face obscured, using a hammer to smash the curb to pieces — likely for use as projectiles.

But the man is suddenly grabbed from behind by another protester who didn't want to see the stand-off turn to violence.

He is quickly joined by more protesters who swarm on the hammer-wielder and manage to disarm him.

They hoist him in the air, his mask and sunglasses coming away as he desperately tries to scramble his way free.

But the protesters carry him right over to the police lines, and officers drag the man into custody.

There is a tense moment as riot police and protesters pull at each other, with confusion threatening to spill over.

One of the protesters who helped subdue the hammer-wielder also gets dragged behind police lines; however the officers recognize what he was trying to do and release him back to the protest.

Online commenters praised the protesters for intercepting the man, pointing out that he was likely smashing the sidewalk hoping protesters would throw the cement bricks at cars, through shop windows, or at the police themselves.

Commenters also praised the police for their decision not to intercept the man themselves, even though he was vandalizing right in front of them; as the sight of armed officers dragging a protester from the crowd could have quickly turned things ugly.

A woman spotted grabbing chunks of concrete right before the incident fled into the crowd and appeared to escape the crowd's wrath.

The walls that provided the backdrop for the tense moment were sprayed with the name "George Floyd", whose death beneath the knee of a Minneapolis cop one week ago sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

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