A car has plowed through a crowd of police in upstate New York, leaving two officers with serious injuries. The moment of the attempted ramming was caught in harrowing footage shared online.
As heated and sometimes violent protesters made their way through New York City on Monday night, similar demonstrations also broke out upstate in Buffalo. But as police cleared protesters from an intersection around the city’s E District police station, a SUV was filmed as it rammed through the group of officers, who quickly scattered, and sped away down the road.
Read more: Trump threatens military mobilization against violent US protests
Two officers – including a New York State trooper – sustained serious injuries in the incident and were taken to the nearby Erie County Medical Center for treatment, according to local media. The State Police also confirmed the injury to its officer, noting it is “non-life threatening.” The perpetrator has yet to be identified.
We can confirm a member of the New York State Police was one of the members of law enforcement struck by a vehicle in Buffalo, NY tonight. The member is hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
— NewYorkStatePolice (@nyspolice) June 2, 2020
Curfew imposed in New York by mayor
The ongoing violent protests against the murder of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of police has seen governors of various states impose strict curfews. This is a shocking development, seeing as the United States was all set to move out of the impose lockdown this month. Thus, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio has extended the city’s curfew order amid ongoing protests and unrest over police brutality, imposing another day of travel restrictions after authorities again failed to stop looting and vandalism.
Announcing the move in a tweet on Monday night, De Blasio said Tuesday will see another curfew, this time beginning at 8pm instead of 11pm, noting that “keeping people safe” is his “first priority.”
“These protests have power and meaning. But as the night wears on we are seeing groups use them to incite violence and destroy property,” the mayor said.
After Coronavirus, New York quickly succumbing to protests
Images of vandalism and looting in New York have emerged on social media, mirroring scenes in countless other cities over the last week as protests over the police killing of George Floyd erupt into rioting and mayhem.
De Blasio’s initial decision to impose a curfew from 11pm drew massive backlash online, with netizens reporting that shops and other properties around the city had been looted and vandalized long before the curfew was supposed to take effect.
Read more: George Floyd’s murder: Violent protests spread across the US
“What a joke. In the meantime, looters are tearing through the city, busting windows and destroying property while stealing (and have been for hours),” television host and author Jedediah Louisa Bila tweeted.
New York City hit an 11 p.m. curfew on Monday after widespread looting erupted in the central business district of Manhattan, long a symbol of the city’s prominence, with shattered glass and smashed storefronts on several blocks.
Looters tried to ransack some of the city’s best-known retailers, including the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square and luxury stores along Fifth Avenue.
Unrest over George Floyd murder paralyses life in US cities
Other cities have been equally hit by the unrest caused by the murder of George Floyd. Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, said her city was sharply limiting access to its central business district after violent protests. She reflected the exasperation of many officials and ordinary residents over the turn from peaceful protest to explosive violence.
She told CNN she was “hurt and angry at those who decided to try to hijack this moment and use it as an opportunity to wreak havoc, to loot and to destroy. You should be ashamed of yourselves. What you have done is to dishonor yourself, your family and our city.”
Read more: Unrest over George Floyd murder wreaks havoc in US
The shocking videotaped death Monday of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis ignited a nationwide wave of outrage over law enforcement’s repeated use of lethal force against unarmed African Americans.
From Seattle to New York, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding tougher murder charges and more arrests over the death of Floyd, who stopped breathing after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder; three other officers with him have been fired but for now face no charges.
RT with additional input by GVS News Desk