Fox news reporter Doug McKelway was doing on-the-scene coverage of the protests in Charlottesville when he relayed a comment from one of the police officers who said:  We re leaving. It s too dangerous.  As the truth comes out, we re learning that the mayor and sheriff are responsible for not nipping this thing in the bud so it got out of control. There were stand down orders given after Antifa started throwing soda cans filled with cement (see video below of police representative). Doug McKelway: We are now beginning to hear criticism bubble up on all sides of this event about the initial slow response by the police. When I got out of my car yesterday in Charlottesville about 10:30 in the morning you knew this was a bad scene and bad things were going to be happening because people were congregating at Lee Park and Emancipation Park wearing helmets, body armor, carrying big heavy sticks. Nobody was intent on peace here from either side. People were intent on causing havoc and causing damage. And even as wounded were being brought out of the park police were sitting idly by. I was standing off a cordoned off area where the police had set up as a staging area, the state police, and they said you can come in here this is a safe area. But when the tear gas started to fly, thrown by protesters, the police themselves began to evacuate then. I asked the guy who was in charge,  Where you going?  He said,  We re leaving. It s too dangerous.  They had a chance to nip this thing in the bud and they chose not to.McKelway spoke with a police representative: VA Police Spox Corinne Geller to @dougmckelway on @ANHQDC: describes the earlier violence, people throwing " soda cans with cement in them" pic.twitter.com/C00uwnyGLi  Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) August 12, 2017 THE ACLU OF VIRGINIA TWEETED THIS:Clash between protesters and counter protesters. Police says "We'll not intervene until given command to do so." #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/UkRDlNn2mv  ACLU of Virginia (@ACLUVA) August 12, 2017 