As the verdict reached the streets, hundreds converged in downtown Oakland for mostly peaceful protests before swelling to a crowd of more than a thousand, with a hard-core splinter group of rioters clashing with police and wreaking havoc in downtown. By late evening, hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the Bay Area had descended downtown to help local police quell the protesters. Wearing black masks, many looted stores, smashed windows and rolled trash bins into the streets while setting them on fire. At one point, protesters began throwing M-1000 fireworks at law enforcement officers and other demonstrators. Stephen Allen,...