Videos captured a chaotic scene as people protesting the death of George Floyd clashed with police who deployed tear gas
by Lauren Frias
- Hundreds of people gathered on the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday at the site where a black man died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
- George Floyd, 46, died Monday after a white police officer knelt on his neck as Floyd begged the officer to stop and told him he couldn’t breathe.
- Four officers involved in the incident were fired Tuesday, but protesters demanded criminal charges be filed against them.
- Police officers and protesters clashed as the conflict escalated, with some demonstrators throwing rocks and bricks and officers in riot gear deploying tear gas and flash grenades to disperse the crowds.
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Police officers on Tuesday evening clashed with hundreds of demonstrators who were protesting the death of a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
A video of the encounter went viral, depicting a white police officer holding George Floyd, 46, facedown with his knee on Floyd’s neck on Monday as Floyd begged the police officer to stop and repeatedly said “I can’t breathe.” The four police officers involved were later fired by the department, but protesters argued for more harsh punishment.
Protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis on Tuesday in response, with many wearing face masks and some carrying signs with messages like “stop killing people for being black,” “Justice for George,” and, reiterating some of his last words, “I can’t breathe.”
They congregated at the scene where the incident happened and marched to the 3rd Precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department and threw rocks, the local station KMSP reported. Police officers in riot gear responded by making a barrier around the precinct at 7:30 p.m., WCCO reported.
Some photos and videos of the protests showed people apparently being sprayed with a chemical agent and the deployment of flash grenades in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
A protester posted a photo of what appeared to be a rubber bullet saying they were shot after the conflict between demonstrators and the police began to escalate. An Instagram Live video showed what appeared to be people throwing objects at police cars at the scene. WCCO reported that people were smashing windows with bricks and rocks.
Representatives from the Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s emails for comment.