Updated

An anti-police protest in Denver outside police department headquarters escalated into violence Saturday night as rioters began smashing windows, setting small fires in the street, throwing rocks and hurling fireworks toward officers, according to reports.

At one point, members of the crowd in what was dubbed the "Give Em Hell" protest were seen trying to tear down a fence that was surrounding the Statehouse, FOX 31 Denver's Evan Kruegel reported.

At least eight arrests were reported, according to Kruegel.

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At another point, a rioter was seen throwing a bicycle at a police officer, according to a reporter from Denver's KUSA-TV.

Rioters also set fire to an American flag, Marc Sallinger posted on Twitter.

Some of the fireworks exploded close to officers, KUSA reported. One officer was reportedly injured but it's unclear how serious the injuries were.

A Reddit post that earlier publicized the "Give Em Hell" protest claimed Denver officials had not addressed activists' calls to defund the police and said that a bill calling for a referendum on replacing the police with a Peace Force was vetoed, according to FOX 31.

The post called for demonstrators to "bring your gear," according to KUSA.

A SWAT team was sent out for crowd control and several people were arrested, according to Denver's KCNC-TV. The fires were quickly extinguished. Chemical agents were reportedly used on the rioters.

A van pulled up during the unrest, with occupants handing out shields and helmets to crowd members, who were mostly dressed in black, KUSA's Sallinger reported.

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At one point, a resident walking her dog confronted one of the rioters who was smashing a window with an ax.

“This is not productive,” she told the vandal, who hit the glass again and walked away.

“People are breaking every window they see,” Sallinger tweeted. “Someone came out of Quiznos with a drink in hand and said, ‘I needed a Coke.’”

"They’re moving throughout the city without any regard for the law," he added in another tweet.