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

Impact

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. 

Jack Smith IV/Mic
Jack Smith IV/Mic
Jack Smith IV/Mic

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.

Jack Smith IV/Mic
Jack Smith IV/Mic
Jack Smith IV/Mic

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.

Jack Smith IV/Mic

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.

Jack Smith IV/Mic

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.