By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer

CARACAS, Venezuela - Police and National Guard troops fired tear gas and plastic bullets at crowds of angry street vendors in Venezuela's capital Wednesday as officers tried to remove merchants from zones where they are barred from selling their wares.

AP Photo

The violence injured 25 people, including one police officer, said Deputy Fire Chief William Martinez. Twelve of them were injured by gunshots, he told The Associated Press.

Vendors threw rocks at police, tore down traffic signs and set fire to piles of garbage. Others blocked streets with barricades of concrete rubble and scrap metal.

"The police used brute force to remove us, and some took our merchandise," said Manuel Gomez, a 23-year-old who wore a T-shirt over his face to counter the effects of tear gas. "We have the right to work. This isn't fair."

Interior Minister Jesse Chacon announced last month that authorities would not tolerate street vendors outside banks, historic sites and all subway entrances.

Authorities argued that vendors' makeshift stands provide cover for thieves and should be removed. Wednesday's clashes broke out along a busy downtown avenue and several side streets where there are banks.

Freddy Bernal, the district's mayor, told the local Globovision television channel that "the situation was beginning to return to normal."

Street violence pitting vendors against police frequently erupts during the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year's celebrations, when peddlers crowd streets in the city of 5 million to profit from holiday sales.

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