PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Gunfire erupted as thousands of protesters in Haiti clashed with police Wednesday as they denounced a surge in gang violence and demanded that the government keep them safe.

At least a dozen heavily armed protesters opened fire on officers who responded outside the offices of the prime minister and the transitional presidential council. An AP journalist at the scene did not see anyone injured or killed.

It is the first major protest to hit the administration of Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, whom the council appointed as prime minister in November.

The whizzing bullets caused the crowd to flee in panic, with shoes, caps and sunglasses left strewn on the street.

The protest began peacefully. Some demonstrators brandished machetes and others clutched tree boughs or waved palm fronds as they weaved through the streets of Port-au-Prince, where schools, banks and other businesses remained closed. Flaming tires blocked roads.

— The Associated Press