US: New Protests, Riots Erupt over George Floyd’s Murder

By Staff, Agencies

More protests and riots broke out across the US Friday night over Monday's murder of George Floyd, an African American held down by a police officer with a knee to his neck during an arrest.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the crime took place, protesters defied the nighttime curfew, gathering around a police station burned previously, and chanted slogans.

More looting was reported in the city, with a number of stores, including an Office Depot and a Stop and Shop ransacked, and buildings and cars were reportedly set ablaze again.

In Washington, D.C., the White House was briefly put on lockdown as a few hundred demonstrators descended upon it, chanting slogans, and shaking security barriers and spray-painting nearby buildings, including a brief breach of a Treasury compound.

In Atlanta, meanwhile, protesters set a police cruiser on fire and vandalized various buildings, including a CNN office, as the mayor pleaded for calm.

In Dallas, the police clashed with the protesters in the City Hall area, firing tear gas and making arrests after the demonstrators blocked a police car and started knocking on its roof.

Protests and, at times, clashes were also reported in New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Louisville, Phoenix, Columbus and Memphis.

Derek Chauvin, the police officer caught on tape holding his knee on George Floyd's neck while arresting him over a suspected forgery, was arrested Friday.

He was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.