Seattle police declare RIOT amid arson, vandalism & clashes with protesters (VIDEOS)
Protesters in Seattle have clashed with officers, vandalized several buildings, and set fire to a construction site for a county juvenile detention facility, forcing local police to declare a riot due to “public safety risks.”
After a group of protesters set fire to the King County facility construction site, police issued “dispersal orders" and were forced to deploy "less-lethal munitions” to clear the area and secure access to the blaze for the city's fire department.
Direct clashes here between protesters and police.As far as I can see, they are all local cops. pic.twitter.com/BM6LU5Cdk4
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 25, 2020
The officers were pelted with stones, bottles, liquid-filled balloons and other projectiles, as well as "some sort of explosives," Seattle Police Department said on Twitter.
The police have shown up, using flash-bangs and pepper spray. pic.twitter.com/gxucPu3MUY
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 25, 2020
Due to the ongoing damage and public safety risks associated with this incident, SPD is declaring it a riot.
Moving through the Capitol Hill, hitting a Starbucks. Smoke is coming out the window and people are now calling for the residents above to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/71Ssie3hai
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 25, 2020
According to authorities, at least 25 people were arrested for assault on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. At least three officers were injured, as police struggled to contain the unrest.
It’s not a peaceful protest in Seattle. The crowd are the aggressors. They set fire to a Starbucks right before this. pic.twitter.com/JVIiCxCPut
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) July 25, 2020
Multiple videos from the scene showed broken windows at several businesses, as well as police using pepper spray and clashing with protesters.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) July 25, 2020
Police also reported individuals spray painting on the East Precinct, and attempting to disable cameras and breach the fence perimeter around the building.
Seattle right now. This isn’t peaceful. pic.twitter.com/r4eudk9USX
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) July 26, 2020
Seattle has seen numerous protests since the death of George Floyd in a botched arrest attempt in May. The city also hosted the now-defunct ‘autonomous zone’ in its Capitol Hill neighborhood, which was later disbanded following a spate of violence and several deaths.
Activists throw items at cops, taunt, get pushed back, then repeat. It’s almost assuredly going to get violent tonight. pic.twitter.com/mFe4wuWhGF
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) July 26, 2020
This weekend’s protest in Seattle is being held in a show of solidarity with Portland, where anti-police brutality protests have continued for nearly two months, routinely erupting in clashes with federal officers.
Earlier today, at least 1 person breached a fence line @ the East Precinct. Moments later, a device exploded leaving an ~8” hole in the side of the precinct. This was one of several dangerous incidents that led SPD to declare today’s incident a riot. Arson/Bomb dets investigating pic.twitter.com/pGC3kpQzhT
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) July 26, 2020
This week, the Trump administration expanded the deployment of federal police to Seattle in a bid to contain possible violence, after a local ordinance prohibited police from using crowd control weapons. In a last-minute decision, however, a federal judge overturned the ban on using pepper spray, blast balls, and other crowd control weapons, after the city’s police chief said the force would be powerless to stop mob violence.
Also on rt.com Judge blocks Seattle’s tear gas & crowd control weapons ban as city braces for weekend protestsThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!
