At least 2 people killed after police move on protesters in Bahrain

Manama, Bahrain (CNN) -- What had been days of peaceful demonstrations took a dramatic turn in Bahrain early Thursday morning when police swarmed into the capital city and forcibly removed protesters from the Pearl Roundabout.

Police came in with dozens of vehicles, surrounded the roundabout and began firing "pellet bullets," rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators, witnesses said.

At least two people were killed early Thursday morning during the incident, emergency hospital services said.

Police were able to clear the roundabout of thousands of protesters and hours after that, convoys more than 50 military armored personnel carriers each armed with machine guns drove into the area. Convoys included trucks carrying razor wire.

Authorities pushed protesters out of the roundabout and sent many fleeing into the darkness to side streets. But about 8 a.m. -- more than five hours after the crackdown started -- the sound of tear gas canisters could be still be heard.

An article Thursday in Bahrain's state media quoted an official in the country's Ministry of the Interior talking about the crackdown.

"Public security forces carried out this morning the evacuation of the crowd and the protesters from Pearl Square after exhausting all opportunities for dialogue with them, some of them have responded and left quietly, while others refused to comply with the law, which called to intervene in order to disperse them," Bahrain News Agency reported.

But the toll of the crackdown was evident at Salamaniya hospital in Manama.

A group of angry people gathered at the hospital, along with distraught family members looking for loved ones.

Inside the hospital's emergency treatment room was a scene that neared chaos as injured people struggled, some with head traumas, or suffering with bloody wounds in the head and chest.

One 15-year-old boy there said he had gunshot wounds to his arm and abdomen. He said he was with a group of people sleeping and was surprised by the police crackdown.

Bahrain is among the latest Arab states to face a surge of dissent following the revolts that toppled longtime autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt.

This week, there have been thousands of activists camping at the foot of the Pearl Roundabout, a Bahraini landmark. For days, police were nowhere in sight as about 3,000 people laid out blankets and pitched tents in protest.

During the crackdown on Thursday, an ABC reporter was attacked while he was on the phone, describing the scene for the network. In the midst of his report, Miguel Marquez could suddenly be heard shouting on the audiotape, "Journalist! Journalist! No! No!" Heavy thuds and the sounds of police yelling could also be heard.

After several minutes, Marquez insisted repeatedly "I'm going! I'm going!" and called out for co-workers. Finally, he returned to the audio line and told what had just happened. His voice broke as he said, "These people are not screwing around."