Minneapolis police fire tear gas on crowd near Third Precinct; large fire erupts nearby

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Police in Minneapolis tried to disperse a crowd gathering near the city’s Third Precinct police station on Thursday night, firing “flash bang” shots and then tear gas, according to reports.

Television images showed several officers launching the warning shots and tear gas from the roof of the police station around 9 p.m. local time.

Soon after, a large fire erupted about two blocks from the police station -- and then some demonstrators were seen breaking into the building after police officers evacuated.