The Olympic flame’s procession through San Francisco drew world-wide ridicule when the torch-bearers ran only a few yards before disappearing into a warehouse, only to re-emerge on a bus half an hour later.

After furious clashes between Free Tibet protesters and pro-China demonstrators, the authorities seemed to panic and abruptly changed the route, cutting it by half and scrapping the closing ceremony.

What Chinese Olympic organisers have called a “Journey of Harmony” quickly became the mystery tour of the missing flame. By 1.20pm local time — 20 minutes after the scheduled start— even the TV news helicopters had lost track. Then the runners were glimpsed at last for a brief moment, only to vanish into a warehouse on Pier 48 seconds later.

Eventually the torch-bearers, flanked by their Chinese minders in blue shell-suits, got off the bus and posed for photographs before jogging down Van Ness Avenue, their destination unknown.

To add to the confusion American officers in blue track suits almost identical to their Chinese counterparts also made an appearance, mingling with the battle-hardened “flame-guards” from Beijing.

The city’s Mayor defended the decision to scrap the original route by citing security fears. “We assessed the situation and felt that we could not secure the torch and protect the protesters and supporters to the degree that we wished,” Gavin Newsom said.

“I think it’s cowardly. If they can’t run the torch through the city, it means that no one is supporting the games,” said Matt Helmenstine, 30, a teacher carrying a Tibetan flag.

Two hours before the Olympic flame began its undignified trek through the deserted streets and freeways of San Francisco, The Times witnessed the tension between pro-Tibet groups and Chinese demonstrations, some of whom had reportedly been bussed in by the Chinese Embassy.

One man, red faced, screaming and waving a “Free Tibet” flag, was hauled out of the crowd by black-uniformed police and thrown into the back of a riot van. The police were immediately surrounded by a chanting mob shouting, “Free him now! Free him now!”

The stand-off ended when a dozen more officers arrived, each one armed with what looked like long, thin black baseballs bats. Meanwhile, the proTibetans became distracted by a group of pro-Chinese demonstrators waving red flags. The two groups stood face-to-face, shouting their slogans at each other. It was later reported that an American man who challenged the Chinese, calling them communists, had been beaten up.

When San Francisco first agreed to host the Olympic torch on its way to the summer games in Beijing, no-one could have imagined such scenes. But since the torch began its world tour from Greece, outrage over China’s military crackdown in Tibet has sparked increasingly bitter protests.

In London and Paris, pro-Tibet groups tackled the runners and used fire-extinguishers to try to put out the flame. China’s heavy-set “flame minders” only aggravated matters.

The authorities in San Francisco faced a different problem: more than a third of the city’s residents claim some kind of Asian heritage. Many of them took to the streets in support of the Chinese Government — raising the spectre of violent confrontations.

By Tuesday night, the Mayor had cancelled all police leave and put in place a massive security plan for the 80 runners. Nevertheless, one runner, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, backed out because of fears over her safety.

On San Francisco’s 3rd Street, near the waterfront, not all the Tibetans were happy with the way the protests were turning out.

“We just want to let the world know that we’re an occupied country,” said Lobsang Tsering, 35, a Tibetan who works at the company in Salt Lake City that makes the Olympic medals. “We keep asking people to remember the Dalai Lama’s peaceful message. We don’t want violence and we don’t hate the Chinese. All we ask is for them to free our country. There were no Chinese there before the 1940s.”

Many of the Chinese, meanwhile, attacked what they called the US media’s distortion of the facts about Tibet. “Tibet is and always has been part of China,” said Chuxiang Li, a 32-year-old engineer from San Jose. “The Dalai Lama just tells lies. He says he doesn’t support violence but what we have is violence.”