The Morton County Sheriff's Office estimated 400 protesters were trying to cross the bridge on state Highway 1806 in what they called "an ongoing riot." The clash was at the Backwater Bridge, near where protesters had set up camp on private property owned by the pipeline developer, Energy Transfer Partners, before they were forcibly removed by law enforcement Oct. 27. A video shot by a protester showed what appeared to be water cannons and tear gas being fired at protesters. But construction of the $3.8 billion pipeline has been protested for months by the Standing Rock Sioux, whose reservation lies near the pipeline route, and the tribe's allies, who fear a leak could contaminate their drinking water. On Friday, Kelcy Warren, the chief executive of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, said the company is unwilling to reroute the pipeline.

Source: CBC News November 21, 2016 05:17 UTC