Protesters flood California highway, throw explosives at officers, police say

(CNN) -- Protesters decrying the Eric Garner case flooded a highway in Oakland, California, late Sunday night and threw explosives at officers, authorities said.
Officers responded by deploying gas and arresting some of the protesters who had shut down State Highway 24, California Highway Patrol said.
 Berkeley protesters take to the streets Federal response needed in Garner death? Death on tape: Where's the line?
Some protesters hurled bottles and rocks and tried to light a patrol vehicle on fire, according to CHP.
In nearby Berkeley, some protesters looted and vandalized businesses late Sunday night, police spokeswoman Jennifer Coats said.
One protester was struck in the head with hammer when he attempted to keep fellow protesters from damaging and looting a Radio Shack, Coats said.
The man was hospitalized, but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
The acts of violence were apparent anomalies in a sea of protests nationwide decrying a grand jury's decision not to indict the officer who killed Garner, who was unarmed.
Some demonstrations are getting more creative.
In New York City, protesters at Penn Station sang "justice carols," such as these lyrics to the tune of "Little Drummer Boy:"
"Help, he told them,
pa rum pum pum pum,
I cannot breathe, you see,
pa rum pum pum pum,
Our city's finest bring,
pa rum pum pum pum,
Death to this human being."
A few hundred protesters also gathered at Grand Central station and Macy's in Herald Square -- sites of multiple die-ins over the past few days -- before barging through the nearby Toys R Us to lie on the floor en masse.
One young couple made the event a family affair, lying on the floor with their toddler between them.
Garner's mother said Sunday she's proud people protesting the death of her son have been peaceful for the most part.
"The riots have been so beautiful, so nicely done," Gwen Carr said at her church on Staten Island, according to CNN affiliate NY1. "And peace is the message. We don't want any violence but keep on moving on."