Hong Kong protests erupt in violence

Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have descended into the worst violence witnessed so far, as two months of peaceful protest changed to violent between protesters and police. 

Thousands of protesters clashed with police overnight at the demonstration’s main encampment near government headquarters in the Admiralty district, at one point storming into a main thoroughfare and bringing evening traffic to a sudden stop.

Police in riot gear fought back with a liberal use of batons and pepper spray, hurling protesters to the ground to make arrests. At least 40 people were hospitalized in the chaos.

Months of waiting in the streets for an increasingly unlikely turnaround from either Beijing or the Hong Kong government, as well as seething anger at perceived police brutality, appear to have ignited the change in tone of the protests.

Student groups have been protesting China's involvement in the vetting of Hong Kong's electoral candidates, demanding free elections and more autonomy from the Chinese government.