A protest in downtown Austin escalated Saturday night after a demonstration that began earlier in the day moved into city streets and drew a growing police response.
A small group of protesters initially blocked East Eighth Street in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, prompting repeated warnings from the Texas Department of Public Safety to clear the roadway. As the night continued, the crowd grew and marched through downtown, at times blocking traffic, ignoring police orders and returning to the federal building where the protest began. Authorities later appeared to deploy tear gas or a similar chemical irritant, causing the crowd to scatter.
Live updates to this blog have concluded. Look back at our coverage of Saturday’s events below.
7:55 p.m. Crowd scatters after possible tear gas deployed
People ran westward late Saturday after authorities appeared to deploy tear gas or a similar chemical irritant near the protest area. The crowd quickly dispersed as officials moved to clear the scene.
7:45 p.m.: Protest returns to starting point
About an hour after the protest began, demonstrators were standing in the street in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building downtown, returning to the area where the demonstration initially started…