Hundreds of high school students from five schools in Stockton, California were participating in an anti-gun protest that turned violent when several students threw rocks and damaged vehicles.
The students staged the protest last Friday by walking out of class in the wake of the Feb. 14 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which left left 17 teachers and students dead in Parkland, Florida.
Police said the demonstrations became chaotic when about 100 of the 300 students tried to leave the school by jumping over a fence and other students created traffic problems by blocking off streets, according to Action News Now. The demonstrations proceeded to turn violent when students started throwing rock and damaged both police and citizen vehicles.
Five arrests were made, which included charges of battery on an officer, resisting arrest, taking an officer's baton, and vandalizing vehicles.
One high school student said the protests were important because school shootings could take place anywhere.
"This is a very important thing to me and to all of us. Obviously, this matters. Yeah, it wasn't in Stockton, but there has been shootings in Stockton just like the Cleveland shooting. This is important to every school. No matter where we are, this could happen. It doesn't matter if you're in Florida; it doesn't matter if we're in Stockton. No matter where we are there could be a gun on campus and someone could get hurt," the student, Haley Wolfe, said.
Caslita Jones, a local college student, said she was on her way to classes when her car was hit by multiple rocks, shattering her rear windshield .
"I'm about to cry," she said.