Saturday, a day after a Minneapolis police officer was arrested and charged with third-degree murder of George Floyd, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to air their anger in dozens of protests around the United States.
Former police officer Derek Chauvin faces charges which are considered to be inadequate by advocacy groups. A footage from a bystander reveals Chauvin forcefully planting his knee on the black man's neck for over eight minutes, as the latter begged for mercy.
Tense protests over Floyd's death and other police brutalities of black men spread across the country as local government officials around the US announced curfews and many governors have requested the support of the National Guard in the midst of unrest, injuries and other forms of violence.
The Pentagon has disclosed that it was prepared to offer military support to local authorities scrambling to curb violence in Minneapolis, but Gov. Tim Walz has not called for federal troops.
Head spokesperson for the Pentagon, Jonathan Hoffman, disclosed that military units were put on higher alert as part of contingency efforts in case Walz calls in for assistance.
The Associated Press first reported on the possible deployments and identified four locations from which soldiers will be drawn, as it cited sources with direct information on the issue. Around 800 US troops would be sent to Minneapolis if called for action, AP said.
The orders were issued on Friday after US President Donald Trump sought Defense Secretary Mark Esper for advice on quick deployment as tensions mounted between demonstrators and police authorities in the city, the AP added.
Troops stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York have been ordered to be prepared to deploy within four hours upon order, sources with direct knowledge of the orders, revealed. Troopers in Fort Carson, in Colorado, and Fort Riley in Kansas have been advised to be prepared within 24 hours. Sources requested anonymity as they were not authorized to disclose the orders.
Somewhere in New York's Union Square, a police vehicle was set ablaze, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air. In Los Angeles, a police post was also set afire in a department store while massive looting broke out in nearby stores.
In Nashville, Tennessee, a courthouse was burned while in Salt Lake City, Utah, vehicles were set on fire and a man wielding a bow and arrow was apprehended after he aimed the weapon at the rioters.
NYPD Cruiser Barrels Through Protesters
Meanwhile, as this developed, New York Police Department (NYPD) cruisers were seen on videos barreling through protesters that stood behind a yellow steel barricade, ramming through hapless bodies as the police SUV gets pelted with objects.
The mayhem, as seen in a Twitter video upload by Rob Bennett with the caption "Oh my god. What is the NYPD doing?", erupted in Brooklyn on Saturday during the city's third night of protests over Floyd's murder.
Oh my god. What is the @NYPDnews doing? pic.twitter.com/rZayr421pJ — Rob Bennett @ (@rob_bennett) May 31, 2020
A crowd of angry protesters was shown on the footage surrounding an NYPD cruiser and bulldozing through the barrier, while the protesters rain down what looked like water bottles, pieces of garbage, and even a chair on the cruiser's roof.
Eventually, a second police cruiser pulls up alongside the first SUV and slowly steers around the barricade and right through the demonstrators. The officer driving the first cruiser slams into the barricade seconds later, knocking others to the pavement among screams of horror.
A representative of NYPD did not immediately issue any comment regarding the footage or confirm if any people were hurt as a result of the incident.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident "troubling," but said that "if those protesters had just gotten out of the way and not created an attempt to surround that vehicle, we would not be talking about this situation," as reported by the New York Post.
