NATIONWIDE REACTION: Protests over police killings rage in dozens of US cities

The latest on the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

3 a.m. (CT) UPDATE:

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PHOENIX — Protesters marched the streets of downtown Phoenix and Tucson Saturday after the cities’ leaders implored them to refrain from violence.

The marches appeared to be largely peaceful, according to local media reports.

On Saturday night, however, Phoenix police had to defend the department’s headquarters. Shortly after 10 p.m., Phoenix police said a large group of protesters downtown had become an unlawful assembly, the Arizona Republic reported.

The police said they needed to disperse immediately. The protesters were seen kneeling with their hands up in the streets outside Phoenix police and municipal buildings, the Republic reported.

They chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “Black lives matter.”

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San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declared a citywide curfew for Sunday night as violent protests rage throughout the city in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.

Breed says the curfew will last from 8 p.m. on Sunday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

The mayor says she has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to put the California National Guard on standby.

Authorities say there have been increased levels of violence, crime, vandalism and assaults on police officers Saturday night as the protests took a dark turn.

Los Angeles is already under a citywide curfew overnight and the National Guard is en route to help police quell the violence.

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DALLAS – Protesters badly beat a man Saturday night after he confronted them carrying a machete to “allegedly protect his neighborhood,” according to police Sgt. Warren Mitchell.

Brief videos of the confrontation posted on social media appear to show protesters throwing things at a man carrying a long object. He then raises it and chases one of them as someone is heard screaming.

Moments later, a group of people can be seen punching and kicking the man, before clearing away to leave him immobile and bleeding in the street.

Mitchell said the man is at a hospital in stable condition and the incident is under investigation.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Authorities are investigating “multiple shootings,” including one that left a person dead, in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday amid protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor confirmed the shootings during a late night news conference, but didn’t offer any more details. Police later tweeted that no officers were involved.

Protests became dangerous for a second straight night in Indianapolis as buildings were damaged, officers deployed tear gas and at least one business was briefly on fire.

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MINNEAPOLIS – Officials in Minneapolis say they’ve succeeded for now in stopping the violent protests that ravaged parts of the city for several days after the death of George Floyd.

Police, state troopers and National Guard members moved in to break up protests after an 8 p.m. curfew took effect, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to clear streets outside a police precinct and elsewhere. The show of force came after three days where police mostly declined to engage with protesters.

It also came after the state poured in more than 4,000 National Guard members and said the number would soon rise to nearly 11,000.

As Minneapolis streets appeared largely quiet, Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said the heavy response would remain as long as it takes to “quell this situation.”

Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.

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RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond, Virginia, police headquarters was the target of protesters for the second night in a row as officers formed a barricade around the building late Saturday night.

A dumpster was set afire near the police headquarters, which had its front windows broken out Friday night. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the police fired tear gas to move crowds away from the building.

Several blocks away near Virginia Commonwealth University hundreds of protesters blocked streets chanting “George Floyd,” referring to the black man who died Monday after an arresting officer in Minneapolis pushed his knee into Floyd’s neck while he was on the ground handcuffed.

Media reports showed video of protesters hurling what appeared to be water bottles at a police car, which moved through the crowd and sped away. A police cruiser was burned in the violence on Friday night, along with a city bus.

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LOS ANGELES — The mayor of Los Angeles says the National Guard will be deployed overnight to help local law enforcement quell violence in the nation’s second-largest city.

Mayor Eric Garcetti says he asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday to send 500 to 700 members of the Guard. Crowds of demonstrators have torched police cars, vandalized and burglarized stores and clashed with lines of officers. Hundreds of people have been arrested since Friday night.

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SALT LAKE CITY – Protests are continuing in Salt Lake City despite a curfew issued by the mayor and National Guard troops deployed by Utah’s governor.

Police officials say they are prepared to give people time to leave, but they plan to arrest people who refused to comply.

What started as a peaceful demonstration Saturday against the death of George Floyd turned destructive. A group of people flipped over a police car and lit it on fire. A second car was later set on fire.

Police officials say six people have been arrested and that a police officer was injured after being struck in the head with a baseball bat.

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RENO, Nevada — City officials in Reno instituted an immediate mandatory curfew Saturday night after protesters broke windows at City Hall and set fires.

Police fired tear gas into the building, the Rene Gazette Journal reported, and a SWAT team arrived to help disperse the crowd.

The fires were extinguished. In announcing the curfew in a statement, city officials asked residents to avoid the downtown area, where a “heavy police presence” would be in force overnight.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – More than 1,000 people marched in downtown Raleigh on Saturday night, breaking windows as police in riot gear released tear gas and pepper spray to disburse the crowds.

WRAL-TV showed video of throngs of people in front of the Wake County Courthouse, some walking with signs, others on bikes and skateboards to protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer on Monday.

Protesters gathered in late afternoon marching peacefully north from the courthouse chanting “No Justice, No Peace.” But tension grew after nightfall as some people threw rocks at windows and spray painted anti-police slogans on walls.

Fayetteville Street was the focus of most of the vandalism with multiple buildings along the street having windows broken out.

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MIAMI – A student at Florida International University said the protest was largely peaceful with the crowd of about 500 “singing, we were doing poetry” and urging each other not to “break windows” or hurt businesses.

But when they arrived at the police station, another group of protesters also converged there and things escalated within minutes.

“There was a sniper on the roof with the police chief standing next to him and they started throwing smoke bombs to the crowd," 27-year-old Liseth Hatta said. “Most of them were kids. They couldn’t’ have been older than 21. Everyone ran away screaming;”

They tried to flee and rushed to the train station to head home, but police closed down the entrance.

“A lot of people tried to get back on the train to leave and they weren’t letting us,” Hatta said. “They basically trapped us in.”

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ATLANTA – An Atlanta police officer was struck by someone riding an ATV in downtown Atlanta during protests that continued despite a curfew, and police said they were still trying to determine whether the crash was deliberate.

Police spokesman Carlos Campos said it happened about 10:30 p.m.; the mayor had set a 9 p.m. curfew. The officer suffered significant injuries and was in stable condition, Campos said.

The ATV drive suffered minor injuries and was taken into custody, Campos said.

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LOS ANGELES – Police have arrested nearly 1,400 people in 17 U.S. cities as protests continue over the death of George Floyd.

Floyd died Monday in Minnesota after a police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. The officer was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder.

But the arrest has done little to quell protests across the country. Most have been peaceful. But a few have erupted in violence.

An Associated Press tally of arrests found at least 1,383 people have been arrested since Thursday. The actual number is likely higher as protests continue Saturday night.

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WASHINGTON – The National Guard has been called out in Washington, D.C., as pockets of violence erupted during a second straight night of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and President Donald Trump’s reaction to it.

Hundreds of protesters converged on the White House during the day Saturday and marched on the National Mall, chanting “Black Lives Matter,” “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace.”

Police used pepper spray to try to disperse the crowd but the standoff continued. Protesters dragged away barricades and some broke up concrete to use as projectiles. At one point, a trash bin was set on fire.

National Guard troops took up position around the White House on Saturday night.

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CHICAGO — Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in downtown Chicago hours after protesters clashed overnight with police during a protest over George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

A crowd converged on Chicago’s Loop for Saturday’s protest march, during which at least one flag was burned, and some protesters climbed onto a bus and a light pole and surrounded police officers.

Following the overnight clashes with protesters, Chicago officials are urging that demonstrators remain peaceful. Demonstrations are expected throughout the weekend over Floyd’s death.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown says peaceful protests that began Friday afternoon turned more confrontational as the night wore on, resulting in 108 arrests. Protesters blocked traffic along major streets, threw bottles and other objects at police vehicles and shattered the windows of downtown businesses.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The governor of Ohio is calling out the Ohio National Guard and also asking the highway patrol to help enforce laws in Columbus as the mayors of the state capital and Cleveland both announce 10 p.m. curfews following damage to businesses amid protests over the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Saturday that the vast majority of protesters want “simply to be heard” and focus attention on the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck.

But the governor adds that sadly the calls for justice and change are “being drowned out by a smaller group of violent individuals.” He says that “acts of violence cannot, and will not, be tolerated.”

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther says he believes racism “is a public health and safety crisis” and he wants to see a more equitable city, but “we are now at a point that we can no longer tell who is protesting for change and an end to racism and who has only chaos and destruction in mind.”

Ginther says more than 100 public and private properties in Columbus had been damaged and at least 10 robbed of goods. He says five police officers were injured by thrown bricks or rocks and police vehicles have been set afire.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — President Donald Trump says he will not tolerate mob violence during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The president made the comment as he spoke in Florida after watching the successful launch of a SpaceX rocket Saturday. He turned his attention to the unrest in American cities following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis before he congratulated NASA and others involved in the space mission.

Trump says the rule of law is the crown jewel of the country and that “my administration will stop mob violence and we’ll stop it cold.”

Trump says that “I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking justice and peace, and I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack and menace. Healing, not hatred. Justice not chaos are the missions at hand.”

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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent more than 1,500 state troopers to various Texas cities to help control protests over the death of Houston native George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Abbott said in a news release Saturday that troopers are being sent to Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo says on Twitter that nearly 200 people were arrested Friday and most will be charged with obstructing a roadway as several protesters blocked an interstate and a highway.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Austin on Saturday outside police headquarters and then marched along Interstate 35.

Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — A television news reporter in Columbia, South Carolina, has been injured by rocks thrown during protests outside the city’s police headquarters over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

WIS-TV anchor Judi Gatson tweets that reporter Miranda Parnell was being taken to the hospital to be “checked out” after Saturday’s incident.

The tweet says Parnell reported that “a person wearing a MAGA hat showed up at the rally, protesters confronted that person & then rocks were thrown."

Several hundred people participated in the demonstration, tearing down the U.S. flag and the South Caroline state flag in front of the police The State newspaper reports that some protesters swarmed a police car, breaking its windows.

Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

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LAS VEGAS — Police in Las Vegas say 80 protesters were arrested and 12 police officers injured during violence Friday that followed a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd after he was restrained by Minneapolis police.

According to police, the protest on the Las Vegas Strip began with up to 300 people gathering peacefully. But police say rocks were thrown at police and property was damaged several hours later when officers tried to disperse the crowd as tensions mounted.

Police said the arrests were made when protesters refused to disperse. Police initially said at least 31 people were arrested.

Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

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DENVER — Denver’s mayor has ordered a nighttime a curfew as demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis entered a third day.

Mayor Michael Hancock said Saturday that the Colorado National Guard will help enforce the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

Downtown Denver has been the scene of clashes between protesters and police the past two nights. Some protesters broke windows and police fired tear gas, flash grenades and pepper pellets.

Thousands of people are expected to return Saturday night. A protest organizer is urging people to be safe and not put others in harm’s way.

Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes, leading to protests in cities across the U.S.

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TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A pickup truck drove through an intersection where protesters were demonstrating Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida, causing people to run screaming out of the way as the vehicle stopped and started and at one point had a person on its hood, according to witnesses and video posted on social media.

Tallahassee Mayor John E. Dailey tweeted later that the driver was taken into custody after hitting the crowd at a low rate of speed. He says no one was seriously injured.

Video shows the truck stopped at a traffic light, and protesters walking around and near it while appearing to speak to the driver. The truck then suddenly accelerates.

Lucas von Hollen, an instructor at Florida State University, said he saw the incident as protesters were chanting and marching as in a standard demonstration, but then he heard a distinct scream of fear. He looked out a window from a second-floor work building and saw the burgundy pickup. He described it slowing down as it had driven up toward the protesters, who didn’t move.

“Then the truck revved its engines … a couple people got out of the way, but some people didn’t, and it just drove straight through the crowd.”

He said people followed the car to prevent the driver from getting away.

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BOSTON — The mayor of Boston hosted a prayer vigil with clergy and the city’s police commissioner to honor the memory of George Floyd.

Protests, some turning violent, erupted in cities around the country on Friday and Saturday over Floyd’s death. The officer was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh says the prayer vigil, streamed live on the Boston government website, was to honor Floyd and to reflect “on his murder.”

Walsh says, “If there‘s ever a moment to acknowledge injustice and re-commit our nation to eradicating it, it’s right now … This is our moment in time to change as a nation.”

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INDIANAPOLIS — Crowds angered by the death of George Floyd clashed with police in downtown Indianapolis overnight, prompting officers to fire multiple volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds that shattered storefronts.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett says hundreds of city residents peacefully exercised their right to free speech to protest the horror of “the needless killing of George Floyd.” But he was saddened a smaller group turned violent and damaged businesses and caused injuries.

Fires were set in trash cans and a CVS store was set ablaze after protesters broke in and took items. Other stores were ransacked.

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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says it has received no request from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to provide federal forces, but several active-duty military units have been put on higher alert to deploy in case Walz makes a request.

The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Jonathan Rath Hoffman, says Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have spoken to Walz twice in the last 24 hours and told him they are ready to provide help to local and state authorities as needed. Hoffman says Walz has made no request for military help.

Defense officials say there is no intention to send federal forces to Minnesota without a request from Walz. If he does ask for military help, the units that would deploy would not get involved directly in law enforcement, the officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss planning, unless President Donald Trump ordered them to do so by invoking the Insurrection Act.

Military police units and perhaps engineering troops could help with non-law enforcement duties like transportation, communications and logistical assistance.

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WASHINGTON — Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser lashed out at President Donald Trump for his tweets criticizing her and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department after protests near the White House on Friday night.

Trump warned in a tweet Saturday that the Secret Service was ready to unleash “the most vicious dogs and the most ominous weapons I have ever seen” if protesters had managed to breach the security lines.

Bowser called Trump’s remark’s “gross,” saying the reference to attack dogs conjures up with the worst memories of the nation’s fight against segregation.

She says, “I call upon our city and our nation to exercise restraint, great restraint even as the president tries to divide us. I feel like these comments are an attack on humanity, an attack on black America, and they make my city less safe.”

Bowser say the MPD stood ready to coordinate with the Secret Service if the protests continue Saturday night.

She says people are desperate for change and “leaders who recognize this pain,” instead of “the glorification of violence against American citizens. What used to be heard in dog whistles, we now hear from a bullhorn.”

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VATICAN CITY — A top Vatican cardinal is calling on U.S. pastors to plead for calm amid violent protests over the death of George Floyd in the United States.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, who is from Ghana, says the death of Floyd was “disgracefully inhuman & sad enough.” In appealing for a message of restraint to be delivered at Sunday services, Turkson tweeted: “Let us not add to it, making it & memory of Floyd ugly with violence.”

Turkson heads the Vatican office responsible for social justice and development issues. He is one of only a handful of African cardinals and one of only two to head a major Vatican department.

The leadership of the U.S. Catholic Church has strongly condemned Floyd’s killing, saying racism is a “real and present danger that must be met head on.” The U.S. bishops conference says while the church always seeks non-violence, “we also stand in passionate support of communities that are understandably outraged.

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HARTFORD, Conn. — Demonstrators rallied in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and other Connecticut cities for a second day Saturday to protest the Floyd’s death.

Hundreds walked the streets of Hartford and gathered outside city police headquarters, shouting “no justice, no peace,” “black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe.”

The rallies followed similar demonstrations in several cities in the state Friday. There were no reports of violence or major property damage.

“We’re seeing people of color being just being murdered down in the streets,′ New Haven resident Remidy Shareef told WFSB-TV. “This is a tragedy. People of color and everyone with a heart and soul needs to know we cannot let this happen. Everyone has the right to leave their homes and come home safely.”

Four men have been killed by police on Connecticut this year, including three in January. A fifth man who lost consciousness in police custody died a natural death from heart disease, officials say. The four fatal police shootings remain under investigation.

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland officials say they’ll track down those responsible for the damage to police headquarters, a shopping mall and many businesses.

Police arrested at least 13 people before dawn. Portland Fire Chief Sara Boone, who is African-American, says the anger and violence is not only about the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but a system that allows people of color to “feel fear every day.”

She says, “This is a moment of reckoning. We are going forward to create an actual community, where respect and dignity are our core values.”

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler imposed a State of Emergency and a curfew, which resumes Saturday at 8 p.m. and lifts at 6 a.m. Sunday.

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is urging Minnesota officials to get tougher with protesters who are destroying property and looting.

Trump spoke at the White House on Saturday after protests turned to rioting in some cities around the country. He says by getting tougher, political leaders in Minnesota would be honoring the memory of George Floyd.

Trump says the U.S. military is “ready, willing and able” to assist. He says “we can have troops on the ground very quickly if they ever want our military.”

Trump specifically called out the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey. He says the mayor “is probably a very good person, but he’s a radical, left mayor.” He then described how he watched as a police station in the city was overrun.

He says, “for that police station to be abandoned and taken over, I’ve never seen anything so horrible and stupid in my life.”

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CINCINNATI —The mayor of Cincinnati has announced a 10 p.m. curfew Saturday and Sunday in areas of the city following damage to businesses during protests over the Floyd’s death.

Mayor John Cranley said hundreds of people had demonstrated peacefully, with no major issues before 11 p.m., but those who engaged in criminal activity ’’were not part of the protest.” Eleven people were arrested and more arrests will come as suspects are identified, he says.

Cranley says the businesses targeted were just “trying to earn a living, and be active and productive members of our community.” The curfew in the downtown and Over-The-Rhine areas will allow police to clear the streets and more easily arrest the few who might commit criminal acts, he said.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported when many protesters began to disperse Friday night, other groups began to break windows and steal from stores. Some windows at the county justice center were broken and some restaurants and shops were broken into. About 50 businesses reported damage, officials say.

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has fired off a series of tweets ridiculing people who protested outside the White House and praising the Secret Service who used shields and pepper spray to push them back.

Hundreds gathered late Friday to protest the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis and Trump’s response.

The president tweeted Saturday he watched from inside the White House as officers “let the ‘protesters’ scream & rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone …. got too frisky or out of line, they would quickly come down on them, hard – didn’t know what hit them.”

Trump said if the protesters had managed to breach the White House fence, “they would … have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.”

Trump ended the last of five tweets by saying, “Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???”

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MINNEAPOLIS — The law firm representing the wife of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd says she has filed for divorce.

Sekula Law Offices says in a release that Kellie Chauvin is devastated by Floyd’s death and her “utmost sympathy lies with his family, with his loved ones and with everyone else who is grieving this tragedy.”

Derek Chauvin, who was fired from the police force after Floyd’s death, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Floyd died after the officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

The release says while Kellie Chauvin has no children from her current marriage, she is asking for privacy for her extended family during this difficult time.

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RICHMOND — Protesters in Virginia responding to the death of George Floyd earlier this week in Minneapolis smashed windows at police headquarters and briefly shut down a major highway.

In Richmond, a Friday evening protest began at Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, and drew hundreds of people who marched through the streets chanting “no justice, no peace.”

News outlets reported a police cruiser and a dumpster near Richmond Police headquarters were set on fire. A Richmond television reporter covering the protests was struck by a thrown bottle and a city bus was set ablaze.

Police responded by spraying chemicals. Virginia Capitol Police says Capitol Square will remain closed Saturday.

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HOUSTON — Houston police say about 200 people were arrested and four officers were injured during protests over the death of Houston native George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Police Chief Art Acevedo says on Twitter most of those arrested will be charged with obstructing a roadway as several protesters blocked an interstate and a highway Friday night.

In Dallas, protesters also blocked an interstate and one officer was injured. Police in both cities used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds that numbered in the hundreds.

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NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says protesters and police officers will be held accountable for acts of violence at a demonstration in Brooklyn that left people bloodied and vehicles burned.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says more than 200 people were arrested and multiple officers were injured.

One demonstrator was charged with attempted murder for allegedly tossing a homemade firebomb at a vehicle occupied by several officers, who escaped without harm.

The protest, one of many around the country over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota, started peacefully in the late afternoo