At Least 240 People Arrested During George Floyd Protest In Chicago - Superintendent Brown

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2020) At least 240 people were arrested in Chicago during the Saturday George Floyd protests, and more than 20 police officers were injured, according to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown.

"We should be proud, proud of our police officers who stood shoulder to shoulder and showed great restraint amid these conditions," Brown said at a press conference, broadcast by Chicago police on Twitter. "Let me be clear, last night was not a protest. The people that came downtown were not there to exercise their First Amendment rights," Brown said.

According to the police chief, the protesters came out into the streets to loot and damage property. "This was a mob destroying everything in sight," Brown said.

According to Brown, Chicago police arrested at least 240 people on Saturday, after protests spread throughout the downtown area. More than 20 police officers were wounded, at least two of them sustained injuries that required hospitalization and surgery.

Brown said he had the support of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to use "every tool at our disposal to put an end to these violent acts."

Lightfoot requested the support of National Guard troops on Sunday. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said on Sunday that nearly 400 National Guard members would be deployed in Chicago.

On Saturday, over 100 people were arrested in Chicago during protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, who died after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis white police officer, pinned unarmed Floyd to the ground with his knee for over eight minutes on Monday. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A total of four police officers have been fired in connection with the incident.