Activists interrupt Trump in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Donald Trump's debate-eve presidential campaign rally Monday night grew tense at several points when protesters interrupted his remarks and periods of commotion erupted in the crowd.

In some instances, there were chaotic physical confrontations.

The first interruption came when a Trump supporter brought on stage was in the midst of explaining how his son was killed by an illegal immigrant.

"That's why we need gun control!" a man in the crowd shouted in protest.

Then, a brief tumultuous period ensued, and supporters tried to drown out protests with chants of "Trump! Trump! Trump!"

Later, after another disturbance, Trump paused his talk about the campaign to comment on the protests.

"Do I hear some noise over there? Yes, I do," Trump said. Then he waved in the direction of the protest and said, "Bye-bye."

Trump mocked the media for turning their attention to the protests, a line he regularly uses. "They only turn when there's a protester," he said.

From the designated media work area, which is surrounded by barricades and which is where the campaign requires reporters to remain during events, altercations within the crowd could be heard.

BuzzFeed reporter McKay Coppins posted brief videos on Twitter of security personnel seeking to remove individuals who appear to be protesters.