A man poses for photos in front of a fire at an AutoZone store, while protesters hold a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis. Photo / AP
A man poses for photos in front of a fire at an AutoZone store, while protesters hold a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis. Photo / AP
Protesters have clashed with cops after a video showed an officer kneeling on a man who later died. There are now calls for charges to be laid.
Wild protests have erupted in Minneapolis after horrific video emerged showing a white police officer kneeling on the neck of an African American man who later died.
The man, George Floyd, begged to be let go during the incident, telling the officer, "I can't breathe", before losing consciousness. Terrified bystanders watched on, telling the officer he was bleeding from the nose and struggling.
George Floyd, begged to be let go during the incident, telling the officer, "I can't breathe", before losing consciousness.
Floyd, 46, was then taken to the Hennepin County Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. The nine-minute incident was filmed by an onlooker and shared on Facebook, and is now the subject of an FBI investigation. The four officers involved were identified on Wednesday as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng. They have all been sacked by Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.
The city's mayor, Jacob Frey, has now moved to have officer Chauvin arrested over the pinning move that killed the father-of-two.
A man poses for photos in front of a fire at an AutoZone store, while protesters hold a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis. Photo / AP
A man poses for a photo in the parking lot of an AutoZone store in flames, while protesters hold a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis. Photo / AP
Frey called on the county's prosecutor to arrest Chauvin, saying the kneeling move is not approved by the state licensing body, according to the Washington Post.
A number of high profile celebrities in the US commented on the case, including Kourtney Kardashian, and Madonna, who called it, "the most sickening, heartbreaking thing I've seen in a long time".
Large crowds gathered at the scene of the incident at 3700 block of Chicago Ave in Minneapolis, carrying placards calling for justice.
Floyd had been in police custody over a suspected "forgery in progress", according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
The hundreds of protesters marched from the site of the arrest to the Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct building, where officers in riot gear confronted the protesters.
Videos show the officers clashing with the protesters, as they were pelted with smoke bombs and tear gas, according to CBS.
Protesters poured bottles of milk over one another's eyes to salve the noxious gas.
A demonstrator wears a mask with a message during a protest of the death of George Floyd. Photo / AP
Some protesters pelted bricks and rocks at police, while other parts of the demonstration were more peaceful, and some attended with younger children.
No reports of arrests have surfaced.
Floyd's sister Bridgett Floyd said when officers called her to tell her about the incident, she thought she was dreaming.
"Everything went blank," she told ABC US on Wednesday. "I had a very hard time taking that, taking that in."
