Photos capture the moment anarchist protesters clashed with police at the inauguration

As supporters gathered Friday morning to watch President Donald Trump's official swearing-in, protesters made their voices heard, shutting down security checkpoints and marching through the streets of Washington, D.C. 

And around 2 p.m. on Friday, a group of dozens of what seemed to be anarchist protesters from the anti-fascist bloc, clad in all black, clashed with police in a brief but violent face-off.

The groups met at the the intersection of K St. and 13th St., according Mic's Jack Smith IV, who was on the scene the moment the anarchists faced off against police clad in riot gear.

Police fired projectiles and pepper gas into the crowd, and the anarchist protesters knocked over newspaper dispensers and garbage cans, at one point starting a fire in the street.

The violence died down shortly after it began, as more protesters from other groups filled the streets — but for many, the images of the two groups squaring off has set a tone for the national mood on the first day of a new administration.

Jack Smith IV contributed reporting.