David Mercado rolls with it

'The morning of 23 February, I got ready to cover the arrival in La Paz of a group of handicapped people who had travelled nearly 1,000 miles to ask the government for an increase in their benefits. They were received in the city by a population sympathetic to their cause, which made them feel triumphant. They entered the Plaza Murillo to end their protest in front of the Government Palace, but riot police blocked their way. It was in that situation that a huge, confusing battle broke out with protesters using crutches and canes to attack the police, who sprayed them with pepper spray. The emotional atmosphere was so great that the confrontation lasted more than an hour. At one point a woman with only one arm and one leg charged the police, and that was the moment when I took this photo of an unreal situation.'

Equipment used: Canon EOS- 1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f3.5, 1/320, ISO 200