Seattle May Day Violence: 5 Police Injured in Clashes, 9 Arrested

At least nine protesters were arrested and five police officers injured during May Day clashes in Seattle where flares, bricks, and Molotov cocktails were thrown, authorities said.

The anti-capitalist disorder followed a peaceful march earlier in the day by advocates for workers and immigrants — one of several nationwide events Sunday calling for better wages for workers and work permits for undocumented migrants, reports NBC News .

One officer was struck by a rock, one was hit by a Molotov, and a third was bitten, the Seattle Police Department said. The nature of the injuries to the other two officers was not immediately known.

The anti-capitalist demonstrators carried signs including one saying: "We Are Ungovernable."

Police deployed blast balls — small firework-like devices that give off a loud bang and a dose of pepper — amid reports of assaults on officers and broken windows.

Eight men aged between 20 and 32 and one juvenile female were arrested for offenses including property destruction, assault, and obstruction, police said.