A furious mob has lit bonfires and hurls bottles and other objects at officers in Dalston, east London, after a protest over the death of a black father wrestled to the ground by police. Source - Youtube/Grimeeditor
A furious mob has lit bonfires and hurled petrol bombs at officers in Dalston, east London, after a protest over the death of a black father 'who was wrestled to the ground by police' turned violent.
Earlier today (UK time), demonstrators barricaded part of Kingsland Road - close to where Rashan Charles died last week - with wheelie bins, mattresses and household debris.
Dramatic footage showed more than a dozen officers retreating from protesters who launched objects at them.
The violence has drawn parallels with the London riots in 2011, which were sparked by the police shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan in Tottenham.
And as night descended, worrying videos showed youths setting fire to mattresses in the middle of the road and pelting police vans with objects.
A woman protester argues with police after a demonstration demanding justice after the death of Rashan Charles. Photo / Getty Images
The windows of several shops in Kingsland High Street were smashed as the violence extended beyond Dalston Kingsland Station.
Local businesses, bars and restaurants pulled down their shutters - locking customers inside - as youths rode through the flame-lit streets on bicycles.
Officers on horses and others in riot vans were deployed as the police tried to contain the disorder and break up groups of protesters.
Earlier in the day, youths were seen clinging on to a lorry which drove through a barricade of wheelie bins set up near Kingsland Road.
Several of the bins were later set on fire before a mattress, thrown on top of the bonfire, sent plumes of black smoke spiraling into the dark sky above.
Helicopters could be heard circling above as protesters launched fireworks at riot officers and police dogs.
In a statement, the Met Police said they were aware of a protest, which was organised following the death of Mr Charles.
Scotland Yard said 'a number of items including bottles' were thrown at officers attending a 'planned protest' near Middleton Road at 3.40pm on Friday.
The police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), is investigating the events leading up to the death of Mr Charles, 20, on Saturday.
Unverified footage on social media appeared to show at least one police officer attempting to restrain Mr Charles, who later died in hospital, in a shop close to where the protest is being held.
Police officers could no longer be seen at the site of the clashes this evening but dozens of protesters, some masked, continued to line the streets.
Protesters told pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists not to travel through the barricade. Scotland Yard has said it is continuing to monitor the situation and several emergency vehicles are parked nearby.
Shattered glass littered the roads in east London where a handful of protesters are holding Black Lives Matter placards.
Streets are trashed following a demonstration demanding justice after the death of Rashan Charles, who was killed last weekend after police tried to detain him. Photo / Getty Images
The IPCC said in a statement on Friday: 'We understand the concerns raised following Rashan's death.
'We will independently examine the circumstances of this incident, we will follow the evidence, we will consider whether there is an indication there may have been misconduct or criminality.'
The IPCC added that it would 'seek to answer the questions that Rashan's family and the community of Hackney understandably have'.
