The low-flying helicopter was positioned just above the curfew violators that sent gusts of dust into the air and caused a part of a tree to fall that nearly hit demonstrators.
There are also reports that some storefronts were also shattered.
Scores of people protesting over the death of George Floyd – who was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week – flocked to the streets around the United States’ capital on Monday evening, paying little attention to the curfew imposed earlier.
As protesters marched into Chinatown, they were met by at least one Blackhawk helicopter with an apparent Red Cross marking positioned just over the rooftops. The chopper hovered just meters over the crowds in an apparent bid to force them to scatter.
The maneuver, known as a “show of force,” saw the aircraft’s propeller blades blowing everything, including trash and debris, out of its way and onto protesters. The tactic is typically reserved for war zones, where it is used to chase away insurgents.