19 arrested, 1 officer injured in protests that disrupted Seattle traffic

SEATTLE --Nineteen people have been arrested and a Seattle police officer suffered an ankle injury as protesters chanting "black lives matter" disrupted traffic in Seattle, blocking part of a state highway and interstate off ramps.

Protesters temporarily blocked traffic Monday afternoon in the northbound lanes of Aurora Avenue North and also on the Mercer Street on-ramp and off-ramps from I-5.

Police were first called to Highway 99 just north of the Battery Street Tunnel around 2:30 p.m.

Officers with bikes moved to clear protesters from the roadways, and by about 4:30 p.m. both State Route 99 and the interstate off ramps were opened to traffic.

Organizers said they were engaging in "civil disobedience" to protest police violence.

The Seattle Police Department later issued this statement:

The protesters were reportedly locking arms using the long PVC pipe to hold themselves together.