(CNN) -- Villagers and police clashed outside a small town in southeastern China on Saturday, one week to the day after a popular local leader there died under contested circumstances, an eyewitness said.
The eyewitness, who asked not to be identified because of safety concerns, said villagers threw rocks at police at a major intersection on a road between the towns of Hongqiao and Puqi, outside of the city of Wenzhou.
Authorities chased protesters, the eyewitness said. They beat some and arrested others, the person said.
CNN was not immediately able to independently verify the account of the protest.
The incident was not reported in China's official state media, and the Chinese government had not released an official statement on the clash as of late Saturday.
The eyewitness sent CNN amateur video of the event, which showed police and groups of villagers clustered around a busy intersection. At one point, what looks to be a rock is thrown into the crowd. People scurry away.
Earlier, activists and journalists in the area had announced on Twitter that local villagers were planning a protest march in response to Qian Yunhui's death and its aftermath. The march was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday in the town of Hongqiao.
At 9 a.m., anti-riot and traffic police appeared at major intersections in the area to prevent the protest, the eyewitness said. Blocked by police, the crowd began to head away from the town and toward the village of Zhaiqiao, the hometown of Yunhui, said the eyewitness. Zhaiqiao is located in Yueqing city. CNN
