100+ Occupy protesters arrested in Oakland

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OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Police clashed with about 500 Occupy movement protesters in Oakland,Calif., Saturday afternoon, arresting more than 100 of them, officials said.

Police said most of the arrests came after the demonstrators tried to enter a vacant convention center and "ignored the dispersal order and assaulted officers," the Los Angeles Times reported. Others were taken into custody after dozens of protesters ran into the YMCA, the newspaper said.

Police used tear gas and smoke as they moved to subdue the protesters during the confrontation outside the Oakland Museum of California, the Oakland Tribune reported. One protester told the newspaper police also fired rubber bullets.

Police said the demonstrators threw bottles, metal pipes, rocks, spray cans and "improvise explosive devices" at the officers, the newspaper said.

Three officers sustained minor injuries, police said.

"The city of Oakland welcomes peaceful forms of assembly and freedom of speech, but acts of violence, property destruction and overnight lodging will not be tolerated," a police release stated. "The Oakland Police Department is also committed to facilitating peaceful forms of expression while protecting personal safety and property through ethical and constitutional policing."