Protest briefly closes some I-5 lanes in Seattle

SEATTLE (AP) — Demonstrators protesting a grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer who killed a black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, managed to briefly shut down part of Interstate 5 in Seattle late Monday night.

After hours of marching peacefully, Seattle protesters also hurled canned food, bottles and rocks, police said. The Seattle Times reported (http://is.gd/grXN3d ) that police responded with pepper spray and flash-bang grenades.

Highway officials briefly closed northbound I-5 lanes before officers escorted a handful of protesters off the freeway.

Five people were arrested, the Seattle Police Department said.

Police also reported some vandalism and spray-painting.

There were no reports of serious injuries.

Shortly before midnight Monday, the roving crowd was estimated at about 200 demonstrators.

Spotted in the march was Seattle hip-hop artist Macklemore, The Times said.

Thousands across the country protested the grand jury decision.

St. Louis County, Missouri, authorities announced Monday evening that Officer Darren Wilson will not be charged in the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown.

Chanting “Black lives matter” and “Hands up, don’t shoot,” Seattle marchers stopped periodically to sit or lie down in city intersections, blocking traffic before moving on. For the first several hours, police just watched the marchers.

While acknowledging that Seattle is “far from perfect,” Mayor Ed Murray told a Monday evening news briefing that his city “is committed to the goals of racial, social justice.”

“Seattle is not Ferguson,” he said. Murray urged protesters to make their case peacefully.

Disagreeing with that viewpoint was protest organizer Mohawk Kuzma, who told The Times that “Seattle is just like Ferguson.”