'I condemn the senseless acts of violence': New Attorney General Loretta Lynch has difficult first day on the job as violence erupts in Baltimore

• Loretta Lynch was sworn in as the 83rd U.S. attorney general on Monday
• On the same day as her confirmation, race riots broke out in Baltimore, Maryland in response to the death of Freddie Gray
• Gray died April 19, a week after he was arrested by police and subsequently hospitalized for spinal injuries 
• Lynch's Department of Justice is currently investigating whether police may have used excessive force on Gray during their arrest  

By Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com and Associated Press and David Martokso, U.s Political Editor, MailOnline

Published: 21:05 EST, 27 April 2015 | Updated: 07:34 EST, 28 April 2015

Just hours after she was sworn in as the new U.S. attorney general, race riots erupted in Baltimore leaving Loretta Lynch no time to ease into her new job. 

In her first meeting with President Obama at the White House Monday night, Lynch discussed the current situation in Baltimore and assured the Commander in Chief that her Justice Department would be monitoring the situation. 

Lynch, who is the first African-American woman to hold the position, later issued a statement condemning the 'senseless acts of violence' carried out by some rogue rioters in the city just a short drive from the nation's capital. 

Scroll down for video 

Straight to work: Loretta Lynch (right) had a difficult first day as attorney general as she responded to riots in Baltimore. Pictured above meeting with president Obama Monday night, during which they discussed the violence

'I condemn the senseless acts of violence by some individuals in Baltimore that have resulted in harm to law enforcement officers, destruction of property and a shattering of the peace in the city of Baltimore. 

'Those who commit violent actions, ostensibly in protest of the death of Freddie Gray, do a disservice to his family, to his loved ones, and to legitimate peaceful protesters who are working to improve their community for all its residents,' Lynch said in the statement. 

So far, 15 police officers have been injured in the riots with two in a serious condition and at least 27 arrests have been made. In addition to some rioters turning to looting, several local businesses have been set on fire.  

In her statement, Lynch went on to promise that her Department of Justice continues to investigate Gray's death.

'As our investigative process continues, I strongly urge every member of the Baltimore community to adhere to the principles of nonviolence. 

'In the days ahead, I intend to work with leaders throughout Baltimore to ensure that we can protect the security and civil rights of all residents. 

'And I will bring the full resources of the Department of Justice to bear in protecting those under threat, investigating wrongdoing, and securing an end to violence.' 

Loretta Lynch sworn in as US Attorney General

America's top cop: Lynch was sworn in as the 83rd U.S. attorney general early in the day in a ceremony presided over by Vice President Joe Biden (left) 

U.S. Senate confirms Loretta Lynch as attorney general

Before she took office, the Department of Justice headed by former Attorney General Eric Holder (who is also African American) launched an investigation into Gray's April 12 arrest. 

Mobile phone footage from that day shows Gray being taken into custody after running from police who later found a switchblade on his person. 

Shortly after his arrest, Gray was taken to the hospital for trauma and it remains unclear how he sustained these injuries.

Gray died a week later on April 19 from spinal injuries, and the riots that broke out on Monday coincided with the day family and friends buried the local. 

In the course of their investigation, the DOJ will be looking into whether police used excessive force to cause Gray's fatal injuries. 

Lynch was sworn in on Monday after a five-month long confirmation in the Senate and will serve just 20 months in the position unless the next president decides to keep her on.

In that short amount of time, Lynch will be inheriting a lot of causes left over by former AG Holder. 

Legacy: Eric Holder, who left his attorney general post on Friday, served in the job for more than six years and started several investigations into police brutality and abuse 

During his time in office, Holder focused a lot of his efforts on police brutality across the nation  - launching 20 investigations into police killings and abuse. 

The New Republic pointed out that Lynch may be a beacon for hope for many in the Black Lives Matter movement since she has a record of prosecuting cops for excessive force and abuse. 

During her days as a prosecutor in the  Eastern District of New York, Lynch convicted four NYPD officers on several charges related to the 1997 beating of Brooklyn man Abdner Louima. 

Louima, who was 30 at the time, was arrested and severely beaten by a group of officers outside a Brooklyn nightclub, and sodomized by one of those officers with a broomstick back at the precinct.

The officer who sodomized Louima was sentenced to 30 years in prison,.

That's quite a change from the officers who were not indicted on any charges in the recent high-publicized deaths of black men Eric Garner and Michael Brown. 

Reponse: Lynch issued a statement Monday night condemning the 'senseless acts of violence' by some in Baltimore. Picture above hugging Vice President Biden after her confirmation 

Investigating: Lynch's Department of Justice is currently investigating the death of Freddie Gray, which has sparked the violence in Baltimore. Pictured above speaking at her confirmation on Monday 

History: During her time as a prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, Lynch helped convict four NYPD officers for beating and sodomizing a Brooklyn man in 1997. Pictured above at her Monday confirmation

At her swearing in on Monday, Lynch said her confirmation showed that 'we can do anything'. 

'We can restore trust and faith both in our laws and those who enforce them,' Lynch said, in an apparent reference to ongoing efforts to repair relations between police departments and minority communities.  

'It seems like such an understatement to say my heart is full, but it is,' Lynch said. 

'I have to thank the president for his faith in me and asking me to lead the department that I love to even greater heights.'

Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath of office to Lynch at a Justice Department ceremony. Lynch replaces Eric Holder, who left the job Friday after six years as attorney general.

The 55-year-old Lynch was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday following a months-long delay in which her nomination became caught up in a dispute over human trafficking legislation. 

Lynch paid an emotional tribute to her family during a brief speech after she took her oath.

'If a little girl from North Carolina who used to tell her grandfather in the fields to lift her up on the back of his mule so she could "see way up high, Granddaddy" can grow up to become the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America, we can do anything.'

She also outlined her hopes for the twilight months of the Obama presidency, saying she was driven by 'the desire to leave this world a better place for us having been a part of it.'

'The challenge in that – for you, for me, for all us that love this department and love the law – is to use the law to that end. To not just represent the law and to enforce the law, but to use it to make real the promise of America, the promise of fairness, the promise of equality, of liberty and justice for all.'