The chaos continued in Rochester, NY, in response to the March arrest of Daniel Prude, a black man who died a week later in ambush, until the third night on Friday.
The rioters set fires, vandalized property and hurled objects at police, who declared the unrest an illegal assembly after the evening began peacefully, reports said.
According to reports, protesters turned violent 30,000 miles away in New York City, resulting in indefinite arrests.
Suspended officers defended
Earlier Friday, a Rochester police union leader defended seven officers linked to Prude’s death, saying they were following police protocol. A day earlier, the city mayor had suspended officials, pending an investigation into the case.
Clash of police, proctors after officers of maximum number of soldiers involved in police scheduled death proceedings
“An official doesn’t have the ability to go script-by-script,” union president Michael Mazzio told reporters at a news conference, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “They have to follow protocol and do what they are trained to do.”
“An officer doesn’t have the ability to go script-by-script. They have to follow protocol and do what they are taught to do.”
Prud, a year-old Prud, died on March 1 after police placed a “spit bag” over his head during his arrest a week ago. The purpose of the bag is to protect the police from possible infection with suspected saliva.
Protests began peacefully in Rochester on Friday but soon turned violent and police declared the assembly illegal.
Democrats and the Chronicle say authorities threw tear gas and pepper balls at protesters in an attempt to disperse them.
In a video taken by an independent journalist, rioting protesters were seen vandalizing a restaurant while diners were eating.
Demolition of houses
On Friday night, New York City police arrested several rioters in Manhattan, including several buildings that were vandalized, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
The riots were a small part of a huge peaceful protest that saw marchers travel down Lafayette Street.
NYPD searches for cars that come in time squares in the number of proctors.
Footage obtained by WNBC-TV in New York City showed rioters dressed in black, breaking through a Starbucks window and then sitting with protesters marching down the street.
Protesters clash with police officers on the block of a public safety building in Rochester, NY, on September 4, 2020, following a rally and march to protest the death of Daniel Prude. (Associated Press)
Jason Liang, who runs Lason Fatte Street Coffee Shop, called the demolition “disappointing.”
“You’ve got the right to do what you want, but why damage other people’s property?” He told WNBC. He said the location was already being damaged by the coronavirus and did not know if he would be able to open the store on Saturday.
The woman says she was in a Sky Time Square protest in the car, life was ‘in January’: ‘They were going to kill me’
Some nearby businesses were also damaged.
“We are awaiting a more specific number of arrests, places for arrests and a more specific number of vandalized businesses,” police officials were quoted as saying by AB ABABC-TV.
The vandalism comes a day after a car rammed into Times Square by a group of racist protesters.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Authorities told the driver to move the car down the road under the Marriott Marquis Hotel to avoid clashes with protesters, Fox 5 of New York City noted.
The driver ignored the request and instead joined the crowd, the station reported.
No injuries were reported and no arrests were made.
