Riot police, Occupy protesters clash in Los Angeles Police in riot gear were dispatched to Los Angeles after hundreds of people, including occupy LA protesters, gathered in the downtown area. Police clad in riot gear skirmished with protesters, including Occupy demonstrators, in downtown Los Angeles late Thursday, leaving two officers injured and an estimated dozens of people arrested, local media reported. At least one man, who said he was not part of the protest, reported being struck by a rubber bullet. A woman who said she was an Occupy member told the Los Angeles Times that protesters attended the monthly "ArtWalk" on Thursday to give support to those who had previously been arrested for writing on the sidewalk with chalk. (11:40 p.m. ET) Thursday, when protesters began taking over the intersection of Fifth and Spring streets, Officer Karen Rayner of the police department said. At times during the first hours of the protest, crowds and police could be seen running from the area. Police ordered the crowd to leave around 11 p.m., and a few skirmishes appeared to break out as officers tried to move the protesters. At least two officers were injured in the skirmishes, the LA Times reported, and dozens of arrests were believed to have been made, though exact numbers were not available, Rayner said. "This kind of took us by surprise, we were not expecting them to show up tonight," Rayner said. 'Chalk walk' march Protesters posted this notice about the demonstration on their Facebook page Thursday afternoon: "We were handing out free chalk for freedom of speech," Cheryl Aichele, 34, a member of Occupy L.A. told the LA Times. Messages written in chalk covered the downtown intersection, including: "You wouldn't shoot your kids for this, why shoot us?" and "Chalk the police." Police used batons and non-lethal projectiles to get the crowd to leave, the newspaper reported. Demonstrators threw bottles and cans at officers. Some people in the crowd also told fellow protesters to remain peaceful. A man said he was visiting ArtWalk when he was struck in the ribs with a rubber bullet. Occupy LA: Meet Southern California's protesters Attacks on Chicago police stations, Obama HQ were planned, prosecutors say Great-grandma: Ready to "lose" my life protesting "Life over war": US veterans return medals at NATO summit Protesters hit streets for May Day rallies; violence flares in Oakland, Seattle During the dispersal orders, police told media outlets to stay at least 40 feet away from the standoff between the crowd and officers in riot gear. The nationwide Occupy movement grew out of contempt for the "1 percent," and targeted Wall Street, corporate greed and political corruption. Spotted protests have continued after authorities shuttered many of the movement's encampments late last fall and over the winter. As many as 500 men, women and children were estimated to have participated in the encampment. The city council estimates the costs related to Occupy LA could reach $5 million for policing, cleanup and other costs.