Freddie Gray protesters in Baltimore steal reporter's bag on LIVE TV

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Paulina Leonovich was recording demonstrations over Gray's death
25-year-old died of spine injury in police custody, prompting protests
Leonovich was surrounding by group of cursing youths after dark
She fell over with camera still rolling, and one man took her bag
He ran away, pursued by her, and was then arrested by police officers
12 protesters were arrested after smashing windows and looting

By Christopher Brennan and Kieran Corcoran For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:57 EST, 26 April 2015 | Updated: 07:59 EST, 27 April 2015

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This is the shocking moment a gang of Freddie Gray protesters robbed a reporter of her handbag as she tried to film their anti-police demonstration.

The gang of youths, who took to the streets in anger after Gray, 25, died of a spine injury in police custody, can be seen swarming around Paulina Leonovich on Saturday night in Baltimore.

At first, the men only to want to get their message across - one addresses the camera to say 'Rest in peace to my man Freddie G'.

News reporter robbed at Baltimore protest LIVE on camera

Mob: Ruptly video reporter Paulina Leonovich was surrounded by protesters in Baltimore, one of whom stole her handbag

Vulgar: The foul-mouthed crowd caused Leonovich to fall over - and by the time she got up a man was fleeing with her bag

In pursuit: Leonovich chased the man down the streets of Baltimore in the hope of recovering the bag

Fleeing: The man ran away from Leonovich and was stopped by officers of the Baltimore Police Department

But as others gather they start to jeering anti-police messages and get rowdier - eventually coming so close to Leonovich that she falls over.

Seconds later she gets up and starts chasing a man down the street, shouting 'Give it back... give me back my bag!' He is then tackled to the floor by police.

Leonovich can be heard crying on the footage, which ends shortly after the arrest.

Earlier: Some protesters in Baltimore spent the earlier part of the day smashing up cars and throwing bottles at police

Unrest: Violence continued from around 6:45pm into the evening when Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts issued an order for protesters to disperse

The Russian reporter works for Ruptly, a video agency owned by the Putin-sponsored Russia Today network, which has devoted extensive resources to covering civil unrest in the U.S.

DailyMail.com contacted Leonovich, who declined to comment.

On Sunday in the city Freddie Gray supporters took to the streets again - but for the peaceful purpose of attending Gray's wake.

Mourners gathered outside a Baltimore funeral home, while supporters held up placards encouraging motorists to 'honk for Freddie Gray'.

However, Leonovich's robbery was not the only crime committed among the protest - 12 people were arrested and scenes across the city saw protesters smashing cars and even throwing bottles at police.

Baltimore Police Department - the object of the demonstrators' fury - said the violence was down to around 100 people who splintered from the 2,000-strong peaceful protest earlier in the day.

Some of the unrest centered on Camden Yards ballpark, where the Baltimore Orioles were playing.

After protesters gathered outside, the estimated 36,000 fans watching the home side take on the Boston Red Sox were sealed inside for their own safety. Three hundred police waited outside.

The lockdown ended around 10pm, not long before the game finished at 5-4 to the Orioles.

According to the Baltimore Sun, some of the team considered spending the night in the clubhouse to avoid any danger outside.

Amid growing anti-police sentiments, some protesters turned on police cars while others threw cans and plastic bottles in the direction of police officer

Demonstrators-turned-vandals kick and smash the front windshield of a car outside of Camden Yards in Baltimore as peaceful protests turned violent

At least two cars were damaged in the incidents, as crowds switched from chanting slogans to destroying property

Just outside, shop fronts and restaurants were smashed and some stores were looted.

A wireless store and a 7-Eleven convenience store had items stolen from them, according to a CBS Baltimore reporter.

Protesters began to disperse as the evening progressed towards 10pm, with a line of police in riot gear marching them backwards.

Peaceful Freddie Gray protest turns violent in Baltimore

A request from police led to thousands of Baltimore Orioles fans being trapped inside the ballpark at Camden Yards as they awaited police clearance to leave

Spectators at the game were allowed to leave after a walk off homerun by the Orioles in the tenth inning. Above, the scoreboard tells fans that they cannot leave

A 7-Eleven in Baltimore was looted as protesters spread from downtown Baltimore near Camden Yards into the surrounding area

A wireless phone store in the city was also the victim of looters who took advantage of the temporary chaos

Local news coverage captured footage of an unidentified man throwing a flaming trash can at a line of police despite the efforts of bystanders to stop him

A protester threw a rock (next to side mirror) at a police car in downtown Baltimore on Saturday evening

A woman in downtown Baltimore stands near her car, which had its back windshield broken in the chaos

Local news captured live footage of a man throwing a flaming trash can at the police line.

A group of roughly 100 protesters broke out a window of a department store with a chair they got at a restaurant across the street at The Gallery, a downtown shopping mall.

The same group broke the windows of restaurants including a Subway sandwich shop near Camden Yards, tossing chairs and tables through the glass.

Protesters also engaged with a group of Orioles fans at Slider's Bar and Grille and began fighting with patrons.

A woman inside one of the restaurants jumped in front of the protesters and begged them to stop throwing things.

At least two bystanders - a man and woman - were bleeding from the head. Other people were struck by flying objects.

The protesters blocked traffic on major roadways including Interstate 83, where service was later restored following the end of the baseball game.

At least two people were injured on Saturday night as protests that began peacefully earlier in the day took a turn for the worst in the evening

A woman in front of a restaurant with a shattered window pleaded with vandals to stop destroying property as small groups of violent demonstrators splintered off from the main contingent

Protesters described as a 'small group of agitators' used chairs to smash shop windows in downtown Baltimore

Protesters and patrons of Slider's Bar and Grille on Baltimore's Washington Blvd began to fight in the escalating violence

Patrons had been drinking beer in the outdoor area of the bar near Camden Yards before the scuffles began

The demonstration arrived at a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles before violence began around 6.30pm

The University of Maryland, Baltimore, which is north of the stadium, issued a shelter in place warning for students as demonstrations turned violent because of 'civil disturbances' in the area.

It advised students and faculty not to come to campus.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake posted on her Twitter account: 'Thx 2 those who have worked to press for peace during these protests. Concerned about the violence and those who want to destroy our city.'

During a press conference she said that a 'small group of agitators' turned the demonstrations violent, according to NBC Baltimore.

Fredericka Gray, the twin sister of Freddie Gray who spoke to the public for the first time, urged demonstrators not to be violent and said 'Freddie would not want this'.

'Can ya’ll please, please stop the violence?' she said.

The funeral for Freddie Gray, who died April 19 after suffering a fatal spinal injury while in police custody, was announced for Monday.

Fredericka Gray, the twin sister of Freddie Gray, said her brother 'would not want this' and urged demonstrators to remain peaceful

Protesters and police confront each other outside of Camden Yards, where the demonstrations turned violent

Though some protesters shook hands with police (left), others marched up to the line and stared at officers (right)

A demonstrator approaches police armed with riot gear and begins yelling during Saturday's protests

Before the protest turned tense, demonstrators held signs with slogans such as 'Jail killer police!' and 'Unite here!' They filled two city blocks and marched 2 miles to City Hall, where the crowd overtook the grassy plaza adjacent from the building.

Tanya Peacher, a 36-year-old Baltimore resident, said she'd never attended a protest in the city before, but watching a video of Gray's arrest motivated her.

'I looked at my son,' she said, 'and thought ''that is my son.''

Late on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis said Gray should have received medical attention at the spot where he was arrested - before he was put inside a police transport van handcuffed and without a seat belt, a violation of the department's policy..

Hundreds took to the streets for a day of protests in Baltimore

Freddie Gray was detained on April 12 after he ran away from police. He asked for an inhaler as he screamed in pain during the arrest and requested medical attention, but was denied

Gray, who was arrested for carrying a switchblade knife, died a week after the incident from a severed spine

Before the protest turned tense, people held signs with slogans such as 'Jail Killer Police!' and 'Unite Here!'

Authorities have not explained how or when Gray's spine was injured.

Video showed him being dragged into a police van and police have said he rode in it for about 30 minutes before paramedics were called.

Six officers involved in the case have been suspended with pay pending the results of an investigation that includes an independent review.

On Saturday, residents young and old, from Baltimore and beyond, gathered around noon and voiced their anger at how the department and the city's officials are handling the investigation into Gray's death.

At one point, the crowd paused for a moment of silence in front of Shock Trauma, the hospital where Gray died. The marchers then migrated to Camden Yards.

At a downtown intersection, a dozen marchers laid down in the street during an impromptu 'die-in.'

The police department has conceded Gray should have received medical attention when he asked for it

People lay in the streets on Saturday afternoon mimicking the way Gray was held as he cried for help during his arrest

Wearing a sign around his neck that said 'I am Freddie Gray,' 33-year-old Dante Acree joined thousands of others outside City Hall.

Acree said he came out to the protest because 'it could have been one of my kids.'

'It could have been my brother, my father,' he said. 'I'd want the same support.'

Leonard Patterson, 56, said he drove from Manassas, Virginia, to be a part of the protest. Patterson said he decided to come after thinking about his college-aged daughter.

'I'm trying to do everything in my limbs, everything in my power, to make this a better world for her,' said Patterson, holding up his black and white drawing of Freddie Gray.

The drawing shows Gray being hoisted from a police van to heaven by two angels.

'I'm here to do what I can. Police brutality is as old as the 1950s, the 1960s. It's still here,' he said.