UPDATE: At least 45 arrested in NATO protests; 4 Chicago police officers injured

UPDATE: At least 45 arrested in NATO protests; 4 Chicago police officers injured

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO

Thousands of anti-NATO protesters hurled sticks and bottles at police during massive demonstrations Sunday. Officers responded by swinging their batons.

At least one officer was stabbed.

The two sides were locked in a standoff for nearly two hours, with police blocking the protesters’ path and the crowd refusing to leave. Some protesters had blood streaming down their faces.

Authorities were seen making arrests one by one and leading individual demonstrators away in handcuffs.

After the clash near McCormick Place, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a news conference that the protests of the NATO Summit resulted in 45 people being arrested and four officers suffering injuries — one from a stab wound in the leg.

Those numbers seemed certain to rise as new clashes erupted later in the night.

Hundreds of protesters gathered late Sunday night near the Art Institute of Chicago as first lady Michelle Obama hosted a dinner for spouses of NATO leaders inside. At least 100 Chicago police officers in riot gear were also at the scene.