Protesters vandalized the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) 5th Precinct building Saturday night and allegedly shot fireworks at officers.
“According to the Minneapolis Police Department, at about 10:10 p.m., officers witnessed 50 to 60 people marching towards 3101 Nicollet Avenue South. Officers say it appeared peaceful at first, but the group became violent once arriving at the precinct,” WCCO reported.
The article continued:
Authorities reported protesters throwing large rocks, damaging a large window and throwing paint on the building and on cameras. It was reported that commercial-grade fireworks were shot at officers, but no officers were injured as a result of the incident. Officers from across the city were called in to assist. The protesters fled before officers could stage and arrive.
Police spokesman John Elder said Sunday that no arrests had been made, according to U.S. News.
“The 5th Precinct saw rioting in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Protesters burned down the 3rd Precinct building,” the article noted.
In addition, Minneapolis has seen more shooting victims so far in 2020 than the entirety of 2019, the Star Tribune reported on July 25:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that there there were 269 shooting victims in the city for the whole of 2019. There have been 275 shooting victims thus far in 2020. Moreover, the Tribune reports that the total of 275 shooting victims also surpasses yearly totals from another seven out of the past ten years.
The news broke one day after the Minneapolis City Council “cut $1.5 million from the MPD’s $193 million budget.”
In a statement following Saturday’s incident, Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said he supported the city’s police officers during the pandemic and the rise in violent crime:
The vast majority of the men and women of the MPD who continue to come to work each day and night are doing so to keep all our communities safe and make a positive difference. I support them and their efforts working professionally during this pandemic, amidst an increase in violent crime and as we diligently press forward in creating a new MPD in partnership with our communities.
“To those individuals that make the choice to engage in unlawful and destructive behavior, hijacking peaceful protests, your actions will not be tolerated, and you will be prosecuted to the full extent lawfully,” he concluded.
The incident was still under investigation, according to WCCO.
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