LOS ANGELES_Protesters demonstrating against the killing of George Floyd clashed for hours with police on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, blocking the 110 Freeway, vandalizing cars and property and getting into a series of tense altercations with officers.
At least four LAPD officers were hurt, some after being hit by debris.
At around 9:30 p.m., then Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly for a large swath of downtown L.A. from the 10 Freeway to the 101, and the 110 Freeway to Alameda Street.
"This is being made following repeated acts of violence and property damage. Residents should stay inside. Business should close. Those on the street are to leave the area," the LAPD said on Twitter.
The demonstration began around 4 p.m. when marchers moved through downtown Los Angeles and into the Staples Center area, chanting "I can't breathe" and "No justice, no peace." Then some members of the group went onto an onramp to the 110 Freeway and temporarily blocked traffic, waving signs and chanting at stopped motorists.
Police were able to get protesters back onto downtown streets, but some got back on the freeway later in the evening before being pushed off.
TV footage showed Los Angeles Police Department officers clashing with some protesters, suspected of vandalizing a patrol car. Video also showed some protesters throwing debris and a trash can during tussles with officers.
Police repeatedly fired less-than-lethal weapons into the ground after some officers got into a struggle with protesters.
The marchers then went past LAPD headquarters before converging on the steps of City Hall. Police then began making arrests at City Hall while pushing other demonstrators down Spring Street. At times, protesters threw objects at officers.
A Starbucks on Spring Street was vandalized, its windows smashed and painted with slogans such as "End Racism" and "Brown Power Unite." Some trash cans were set on fire.
An LAPD spokesman confirmed that two officers were injured, including one who was hit with a bottle at 8:39 p.m.
LAPD spokesperson said they did not have any information on the number of police vehicles that were damaged.
Protesters took to the streets in Los Angeles for the third night in a row following the killing of George Floyd.
No arrests had been announced as of 9:15 p.m.
Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday evening urged peaceful protest.
"We respect every Angeleno's right to protest, but violence and vandalism hurts all," he said on Twitter. "Let's remember why we march, protect each other, and bring a peaceful end to a painful night."
Hours earlier, protesters in San Jose temporarily shutdown the 101 Freeway. Then, another group shutdown the 880 Freeway in Oakland. Marchers also took to the streets in San Francisco.
The killing of Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck earlier this week, has sparked protests across the country. On Wednesday night, demonstrators briefly shut down the 101 Freeway in the L.A. civic center.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore tweeted, "In response to recent demonstrations, we stand with our community and rebuke any instance of police brutality. No one despises a bad cop more than a good cop."
He added, "However, as we continue to facilitate spontaneous and planned protests, violence or property damage has no place here in L.A."
On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators began marching at San Jose City Hall before running onto the 101 Freeway at Santa Clara Street. They briefly blocked freeway traffic before returning to downtown San Jose.
"One of our officers was injured and transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries," San Jose Officer Gina Tepoorten said in an emailed statement to the Los Angeles Times. "We do not have all the details at this time and will provide additional details as they become available."
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said Friday he understood the anger but urged peaceful protests.
"Anger and peaceful protest will always be appropriate responses to injustice; violence will never be," Liccardo tweeted on Friday afternoon. "San Jose is united in outrage over the atrocious crime committed in Minneapolis and in sadness over George Floyd's horrible death."
He added, "SJPD will take a measured approach in facilitating peaceful protest, but there will be no tolerance of violence to our people or damage to our city."
In Southern California, nine people were arrested Thursday night at a protest in Fontana.
That event, which started about 6 p.m., initially involved about 50 demonstrators but grew to include about 100, police said in a news release.
Protesters blocked traffic and threw rocks at the windows of businesses and passing vehicles, according to investigators. Some windows at Fontana City Hall were damaged, police said.
Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly and ordered the demonstrators to disperse about 9 p.m. Some of the protesters refused and threw rocks at officers, prompting them to ask other agencies for help, police said.
It took officers more than an hour to break up the crowd, and nine people were arrested on suspicion of various offenses, police said. There was no immediate word on what charges they might face.
In Minneapolis, protesters lobbed bottles, trampled a perimeter fence, broke windows and overran a police station. Crowds continued to ransack the station, burn cars and fire guns into the air early Friday.
Floyd's deadly encounter with police began Monday night after he was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store.
Cellphone video of Floyd's arrest outside the business shows Officer Derek Chauvin driving his knee into the 46-year-old's neck as Floyd pleads that he can't breathe. After several minutes, Floyd appears to lose consciousness, and a bystander can be heard yelling that Floyd's nose is bleeding. Even as paramedics arrive to check Floyd's pulse, Chauvin's knee remains positioned on the man's neck. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.
The killing has been condemned by leaders of some of the largest police departments in the U.S.
