LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Metro Police Department asked people to stay away from downtown Louisville Monday evening because of "aggressive behavior of demonstrators downtown."

Demonstrators blocked roads and trapped vehicles throughout Monday, including around 8 a.m. when vehicles blocked Sixth Street between Jefferson and Liberty streets.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said Monday evening he encouraged people to avoid downtown "because of an unsettled situation."

A WDRB News crew saw demonstrators taking construction cones from a  construction site and placing them in the street.

A brick was thrown at a WLKY News crew near the intersection of 8th and Jefferson streets around 6 p.m. Earlier, demonstrators blocked the Interstate 64 ramps to and from Ninth Street in the area of Eighth and Jefferson streets. Roads surrounding Jefferson Square Park were also blocked as of 7:45 p.m.

"Please stay out of the area!" the department urged on Twitter. 

Police later moved the group away from the area of Ninth Street and Roy Wilkins Avenue towards Jefferson Square Park. Police said they used pepper balls as some individuals as the group got close to police. Acting LMPD Chief Robert Schroeder said several other protesters stepped in to help defuse the situation.

Protesters then dispersed from the area and gathered once again at Jefferson Square Park before marching through downtown.

Fischer and Schroeder provided an update around 10:30 p.m. Monday evening to address the demonstrations and police presence.

"For the past few weeks, we have worked with protesters to ensure that peaceful protests can happen, and I appreciate that the vast majority of protests have certainly been peaceful," Fischer said.

He noted that there were some "challenges" on Monday, and stressed that protesters must stop blocking vehicles and engaging in violence.

"Earlier today we saw roads, intersections, interstate ramps blocked, cars and trucks surrounded, creating very unsafe and scary situations, some destruction and attacks on vehicles," he said. "We absolutely support peaceful protest, and will protect the First Amendment, but public safety must come first."

Fischer commended the protesters who worked with LMPD to defuse the situation downtown. 

Schroeder said the group of demonstrators in the area of Ninth Street Monday evening used cars and people to start blocking traffic around 5 p.m. He said officers with LMPD's Special Response team were on standby a few blocks away "if intervention was needed." 

"Some protesters saw those officers, and began gathering and moving down Jefferson Street towards them, initially confronting the officers at Eighth Street," Schroeder said. "Our officers backed up, but the protesters continued moving towards them, eventually confronting them at a parking lot near Ninth Street."

The acting chief said that group "engaged the officers there for about 45 minutes," while some used construction cones and barriers to block the street and I-64 ramps. TARC buses, cars and semis were blocked in. Schroeder also said a group tried to pull a driver from his semitruck.

"Because of the escalating risk and violent behavior, including throwing bricks at cars, including media vehicles, we once again deployed our response team to move towards the protesters and move them back towards Jefferson Square," he said. "During that effort, we did have to deploy pepper ball guns, but no teargas was used on the crowd. Once the crowd was pushed back to Seventh and Jefferson, our officers stopped, stood there for about an hour with protesters facing them in the street."

Schroeder said that a vehicle ran in front of officers several times, "making aggressive moves," so police deployed "impact rounds" to get the vehicle to move back. That's when protesters from Jefferson Square helped defuse the situation, allowing officers to move back and disengage, he said.

Schroeder said that as protests continued downtown, police worried about the number of cars joining them and the safety risk they pose.

"We will continue to monitor the situation, continue to protect the right to peacefully protest while also protecting the public safety," he said.

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