Minneapolis police station torched as protests over George Floyd’s death spread across US

The death of the handcuffed black man while in police custody sparked a third consecutive night of violence

Anger has spread to other US cities, with police clashing with demonstrators in New York, and large protests in Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver

6-MIN READ6-MIN

Protesters burn the Minneapolis Police Department 3rd Precinct as anger over the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in police custody continues. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:18pm, 29 May 2020Updated: 1:34pm, 1 Jun 2020

Cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station that the department abandoned as three days of violent protests spread to nearby St. Paul and angry demonstrations flared across the US over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” soon after 10pm. Live-stream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.

Protesters could be seen setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department jacket.

Late on Thursday, President Donald Trump blasted the “total lack of leadership” in Minneapolis. “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he said on Twitter. Trump, who called protesters in Minneapolis “thugs,” drew another warning from Twitter for his rhetoric, saying it violated the platform’s rules about “glorifying violence.”

A visibly tired and frustrated Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made his first public appearance of the night at City Hall near 2am on Friday and took responsibility for evacuating the precinct, saying it had become too dangerous for officers there. As Frey continued, a reporter cut across loudly with a question: “What’s the plan here?”

Protesters are seen outside the burning Minneapolis Police Department 3rd Precinct. Photo: EPA-EFE

“With regard to?” Frey responded. Then he added: “There is a lot of pain and anger right now in our city. I understand that … What we have seen over the past several hours and past couple of nights here in terms of looting is unacceptable.”