Police arrest at least 40 people protesting Alton Sterling's death in Baton Rouge (photos)

Last night, heavily armed Police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana arrested about 40 people during tense clashes with chanting protesters decrying the police-involved death of Alton Sterling. Majority of the arrests took place at Government St. near Interstate 110 after neighbors said scores of protesters refused to budge from the roadway and front yards along East Blvd for at least two hours.

Police believed the group of about 100 to 200 people, who were cornered by police outside a home, intended to block the highway, hence their decision to arrest them and also allegedly beat youths who refused to give in to arrest.

“They were out on the side of my house,” said Marsha Lynn Adams, who was among several residents watching the chaos unfold from their homes.

“That’s when (police) started pushing forward to get them off the lawn,” Adams told the Daily News. “It was really intense.”