Stinging Gas Sends May Day Protesters in Oakland Fleeing

OAKLAND – Hundreds of activists across the U.S. joined the worldwide May Day protests on Tuesday, with Occupy Wall Street members in several cities leading demonstrations and in some cases clashing with police.

In Oakland, Calif., stinging gas sent protesters fleeing a downtown intersection where they were demonstrating. It was unclear whether police fired the gas, but officers took four people into custody.

Black-clad protesters in Seattle used sticks to smash small downtown windows and ran through the streets disrupting traffic.

In New York, police in riot gear lined the front of a Bank of America, facing several dozen Occupy activists marching behind barricades. "Bank of America. Bad for America!" they chanted. About 50 demonstrators in Chicago rallied outside another of the bank's branches.

More