Atlanta protesters tore apart the Georgia State Patrol headquarters early Sunday morning, spraying graffiti and sparking fireworks inside the building with fireworks, the agency said.
About 100 people, many dressed in black and wearing masks, marched outside the building around 1 a.m., the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) said in an emailed statement. The agency described the group as protesters, carrying rocks, fireworks, and spray paint.
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Video footage of the scene shows a group of several dozen people outside the building and the sound of drums in the background. Various fireworks are fired. A loud explosion is followed by a red flash from inside the building, where smoke can be seen through a glass window.
Some people dressed in black can be seen walking to the window carrying what appears to be fireworks, the video shows. The GSP said fireworks thrown out of a building window caused a small fire in an office.
Employees of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) put out the fire and two workers were treated for smoke inhalation, the agency said.
Kimberly Krautter, who recorded the video after the noise woke her up, said the protest seemed peaceful until “three or four bad actors” broke the window and “bombed the office.”
The building, seen in the background, which houses the Georgia State Patrol headquarters was destroyed in Atlanta on Sunday morning. The video showed protesters appearing to fire at least one firework inside the building. (Kimberly Krautter via AP)
While no injuries were reported, the agency said the group caused “extensive damage” to the building and a DPS vehicle parked outside.
Photos obtained by FOX5 Atlanta show graffiti that says “Death to Amerikkka” scrawled on the outside of the building.
The estimated cost of the damage was not immediately known.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation. No arrests have been made yet.
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While protests in Atlanta and across the country have taken place in the past month after the deaths of Rayshard Brooks and George Floyd, Krautter said it was unclear what they were protesting.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
