Video: SUV Collides with Boston Protesters as Some Cops Kneel

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 31: Demonstrators face off with police during a protest in res
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Ashley Oliver

Protests in Boston devolved into chaos on Sunday evening as violence erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd.

Several scenes of rioting and looting could be seen late into the night, according to a livestream from local outlet WCVB. Dangerous incidents included an SUV plowing into a group of protesters and an explosive being set off in a crowd of people that included police officers.

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One protester posted video of two police officers kneeling to applause in the downtown area, seemingly in support of the demonstrations. In another scene, several officers in front of the State House in Beacon Hill and elsewhere were pelted with frozen water bottles, bricks, and other projectiles.

In another instance, according to video posted by journalist Peter Eliopoulos, rioters surrounded an occupied police cruiser and beat in its windows:

One police cruiser was set on fire steps away from the historic Granary Burying Ground and Boston Common, the oldest public park in the country. Boston 25 reported on the incident, showing the vehicle engulfed in flames:

The Boston Police Department posted a message requesting people leave the city shortly after 10:30 p.m. “The time for protesting is over. The peaceful protest ended hours ago,” the police stated. The Massachusetts National Guard was deployed around 10:50 p.m.

In the midst of the destruction, Mayor Marty Walsh (D) weighed in at 10:41 p.m. by first thanking protesters, writing, “I see you. I hear you. I will use my voice for you.” He then stated that people who “came into our city” to engage in violence “angered” him:

As of the time of this writing, ample looting was ongoing on two major city streets, Boylston and Newbury, which are dense with retail.

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