Minneapolis police station torched amid George Floyd death protests

Three days of unrest were sparked by video footage of a black man dying after a white police officer knelt on his throat.

Minneapolis protests

Demonstrators have torched a Minneapolis police station as three days of violent protests spread over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

A city police spokesman confirmed that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel”.

Live-streamed video showed the protesters then entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as fires were started.

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

US president Donald Trump later blasted the “total lack of leadership” in Minneapolis.

He wrote on Twitter: “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.”