14 Striking Baltimore Protest Videos

A city has been left in tatters on Tuesday morning after protests ripped through Baltimore on Monday afternoon and overnight. Shortly after Freddie Gray's funeral, protests that had started over his mysterious death quickly turned into violence. Several officers were injured, hundreds were arrested, and buildings were burned and looted in a span of hours. For those were not there, it's difficult to imagine the chaotic scene, but a few people in the middle of the unrest recorded Vines of the Baltimore riots that show what it was like to be in the thick of it.

The day started peaceful as thousands filled the New Shiloh Baptist Church to say goodbye to Gray, who died from a mysterious spinal injury after being arrested and placed inside a police van. But after students at a local high school began passing around a flier that announced a "purge" (or period of violence) at 3 p.m., groups of people began attacking police officers, throwing rocks, bricks, and bottles at them. In response, officers tried to fend them off with tear gas and pepper balls.

Multiple police vehicles were smashed and set on fire while rioters also targeted a local CVS, looting it before it also caught on fire. When firefighters tried to hose it down, rioters cut their hose to thwart their efforts.

At 7 p.m., Gov. Larry Hogan announced a state of emergency in Baltimore and deployed the National Guard to assist the drastically outnumbered police. Col. William Pallozzi of the Maryland State Police announced later in the evening that up to 5,000 law enforcement personnel will join to help control the unrest. In short, Baltimore has become a veritable war zone.

Multiple people who were on the scene caught the chaos on video. For anyone outside of Baltimore who feels far removed from the rioting, watching these 14 Vines will put you right in the middle of it.