71 arrested after acquittal of Cleveland police Officer Michael Brelo

Calm returned to the streets of Cleveland on Sunday, a day after protests broke out in the wake of the Michael Brelo verdict.

City officials said police tried to give peaceful protesters the space to exercise their First Amendment rights, but some of them crossed the line several times, resulting in 71 arrests.

Demonstrations were peaceful earlier in the day Saturday, but they grew more aggressive in the afternoon and evening when most of the arrests occurred, Police Chief Calvin Williams said in a news conference on Sunday.

His officers were tolerant of protesters who expressed their anger and frustration in a constructive manner, he said.

"We allowed people to express their First Amendment rights," he said. "We gave people the space and provided a safe environment for them."

Some exceptions: A protest shut down state Route 2 before police convinced those blocking the highway's 60-mph traffic to disperse; demonstrators became "disruptive" at the mixed-use Tower City Center, resulting in arrests and businesses closing their doors; a protester threw a restaurant sign at a bystander and other protesters stepped in when police tried to arrest the sign thrower; and protesters pepper-sprayed patrons dining on restaurant patios, Williams said.

Those arrested included 39 men and 16 women, with juveniles and "other adults" filling out the arrest tally, the chief said.

The charges include felonious assault, aggravated rioting, unlawful congregation and failure to disperse, he said. The misdemeanors will be charged within 24 hours of the arrests, and the felonies within 36 hours, he said.

"We only moved in to make arrests when things got violent and people refused to disperse," Williams told reporters.

Unlike protests in other cities, where violence has resulted in curfews and certain areas being shut down, in Cleveland the mayor said residents and visitors should carry on normally without worrying about the protests.

"If they cross the line, we will deal with them accordingly and the citizens should not be concerned about that and they should come downtown and enjoy themselves," Mayor Frank Jackson said.

'Move back!'

Protests erupted in downtown Cleveland on Saturday after Judge John P. O'Donnell acquitted Brelo, a police officer who stood trial in the 2012 shooting deaths of two unarmed people, on charges of voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault.

CNN video showed police in riot gear moving down East Fourth Street, a strip of restaurants, and pushing back protesters. The officers yelled, "Move back!" in unison as they advanced.

A CNN crew saw at least 15 people being taken into custody by police in riot gear, accompanied by troopers.

Three people were arrested for aggravated riot, felonious assault and obstructing justice after an object was thrown through a restaurant window, injuring a patron,police said in in a tweet.

Multiple arrests were made at East Fourth Street because of "unlawful behavior by large crowd," another tweet said. Police appeared to greatly outnumber protesters.

The crowd assembled outside the judicial center in Cleveland for two hours following the announcement of the verdict. Law enforcement officers formed a line and kept them from entering the judicial center.

Some chanted "no justice, no peace" and "black lives matter," words heard in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York, where sometimes-violent demonstrations occurred after African-Americans died at the hands of white police officers.