Baltimore city police cleared those who remained at a tent camp for homeless people under the Jones Falls Expressway Saturday night, allowing a weekly farmers market to be held as scheduled at its usual spot Sunday.

The operation was not without incident, however.

Baltimore police spokeswoman Chakia Fennoy wrote in an email that around 11:41 p.m., “an adult male experienced a behavioral crisis and attempted to set himself” afire at East Saratoga and North Gay streets and was transported by medics to an area hospital for treatment.

Video footage captured by The Baltimore Brew shows several officers converge on a man in yellow overalls sitting in a tent with a lighter and holding a red gas can. The man jumps out of the tent and runs past officers while holding the gas can; an officer deploys a Taser at the man, who falls to the ground and is handcuffed. The man can be heard in the video asking police if he can have his cigarette back.

According to The Brew, a reporter and officers observed the man pouring what appeared to be gasoline from the can around his tent before sitting inside and flicking on a lighter.

Baltimore city officials and residents of the tent encampment had held negotiations Friday, a day after protesters demonstrated against plans to clear out the tents to make space for the weekly farmers market.

In a statement Friday, the office of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said both parties agreed that the individuals who set up the tents would leave the site by Saturday afternoon, “allowing adequate time to prepare for Sunday’s Farmers Market.”

However, the residents of what they dubbed “I-83 tent city” said they intended to leave the premises only temporarily and would move back Sunday night after the market concluded.

Christina Flowers, an advocate for people experiencing homelessness, said late Friday that 14 people remained in the encampment. Some had accepted a city offer to be moved into shelters. Those who stayed behind were demanding alternative accommodations that didn’t involve the shelter system, she said.

Collectively, they penned a letter to Scott asking for permission to occupy a space where they could receive services and address issues that hindered them from finding housing. The shelter environment negatively affects their mental health and does not reduce the trauma they have experienced on the streets, the letter states. It does not specify what kind of space would meet their needs.

On Friday evening, more than a dozen tents stood under the highway in shades of orange, red, blue and beige. Music blasted from speakers, and the air smelled like buttered popcorn. Residents of the encampment sat in chairs or milled around, sometimes grabbing water or snacks from a table laden with supplies.

Living under the highway is preferable to staying in a homeless shelter for some, Flowers said. This area is centrally located and close to programs that provide services to unsheltered individuals, such as Health Care for the Homeless and Our Daily Bread, she explained. The highway overhead, Interstate 83, provides protection from the elements. They have access to power outlets.

“They’re standing their ground,” Flowers said Friday evening.

A.V. Smith, 19, said she had been staying at the site since Sunday, having been homeless for almost a year. Smith said she felt angry when she saw the notices Thursday afternoon saying the area was reserved under a permit and would be cleared on Friday.

Smith said she’s disillusioned with city housing services. She said she didn’t want to go back to city shelters because of concerns over safety and hygiene, Smith said.

“They expect us to go in there and I know if we go in there, we’re not going to stay,” Smith said. “We’ll be right back out here.”

Michael and Rose Young’s silver and blue tent was outfitted with a canopy to provide additional shade, while a rug outside their doorway functioned as a porch. Both are in recovery for substance use disorder. Rose, 59, said going to a city shelter would mean being split up when they need each other the most.

What they wanted more than anything, Rose said, was a one-bedroom apartment they could share. She’s had negative experiences with transitional housing when she’s moved from place to place with no stability in sight.

Rose said people “make a big deal” and say they’re “gonna get you housing again, ‘til you get frustrated and you’re going back out to use [drugs] or end up dying in the street.”

Representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services spoke with encampment residents Friday. A statement from the mayor’s office said they were “committed to engaging with individuals experiencing homelessness to make them aware of the services and supports that are available to them.”

“We will continue our outreach while also working with BOPA [Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts] to ensure that vendors who have purchased permits to showcase their wares and the individuals who look forward to shopping at the Farmers Market are able to have an enjoyable experience this coming Sunday and as the market season lasts through December,” the statement said.

alissa.zhu@thebaltimorebanner.com

Banner reporter Taylor DeVille contributed to this article.