Minnesota police arrest black CNN reporter live on air

Minneapolis | Police in Minneapolis released a CNN reporter who was led off in handcuffs along with his film crew while reporting live on television on protests in the city over the death of George Floyd.

Officers gave no explanation as they escorted reporter Omar Jimenez away. He had just shown a protester being arrested when about half a dozen police officers in gas masks surrounded him. More than an hour later, the crew was released.

"What gave me one bit of comfort was that it happened on live TV," Jimenez told viewers after he was released. "You don't have to doubt my story it's not filtered in any way; you saw it with your own eyes."

"We can move back to where you like," he told the officers wearing gas masks and face shields, before explaining that he and his crew were members of the media. "We're getting out of your way."

"This is among the state patrol unit that was advancing up the street, seeing and scattering the protesters at that point for people to clear the area. And so we walked away," Jimenez said before being told he was under arrest and handcuffed by two officers. "Why am I under arrest, sir?"

Thursday marked a third night of arson, looting and vandalism in Minnesota over the death of a black man, George Floyd, seen on video gasping for breath while a white police officer knelt on his neck for at least eight minutes.

Mr Floyd's death was the latest in a long-running string of incidents where African-American men have been killed by police and has set off a storm of protests against racism and police brutality.

Governor Tim Walz had declared a state emergency and ordered the National Guard activated, and President Donald Trump suggested in a tweet that looters would be shot. Twitter placed a flag on the president's tweet for breaking its rules by glorifying violence.

Jimenez's fellow CNN reporter Josh Campbell, who is white, was also in the vicinity and was approached by police. But he said he was treated very differently.

"I identified myself ... they said, 'OK, you're permitted to be in the area,'" recounted Campbell. "I was treated much differently than [Jimenez] was."

AAP