Eight people were arrested Wednesday night during a protest on East Colfax Avenue near the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Denver Police Department said.

Police spokesman Doug Schepman said officers recovered a handgun, knife, hammer and bear spray when making the arrests.

Property damage was reported along East Colfax Avenue, including graffiti and broken windows.

A fire was set in an overturned dumpster at Colfax and Washington Street.

The arrests happened after about 100 people marched down East Colfax Avenue dressed in all black behind two men carrying a white banner that read “Death to racism and the liberalism that enables it.”

The group chanted anti-Donald Trump and anti-police messages as many nearby residents, people drinking at bars, or people getting gas stopped and stared at the event.

Some protesters painted graffiti with anti-Trump sentiment on plywood placed in front of businesses, while some began throwing rocks through windows.

Swarms of law enforcement from the Denver Police Department, including its SWAT unit, responded to the area after reports of property damage began to come in.

Demonstrators proceeded west on Colfax and tensions grew as more property began to be destroyed.

Fires were started on corner trash bins, and glass was spread along the sidewalk from Wendy’s, Western Credit Union, UMB Bank and other storefronts.

Law enforcement was halted by a protester who pushed a large trash bin in front of their truck, but police quickly caught up to demonstrators and began warning them that tear gas would be deployed and arrests would happen if the protest did not stop.

Minutes later, officers shot a round of tear gas into the intersection of Colfax and Williams Street that sent the crowd in every direction.

Micah Will, a nearby resident, asked police to stop.

“Why are you here? Just stop,” he yelled at authorities.