Police SUV Blows Up, State Of Emergency Declared In Aurora: Video

AURORA, IL — After a morning of peaceful protest during which Aurora's police chief said officials stood with demonstrators, the situation turned violent Sunday evening, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in Aurora Township.

Just after 8 p.m., an Elgin police squad vehicle was set on fire and exploded on New York Street, just across the river from Hollywood Casino in Aurora.

Peaceful Protests End With Rioting, Looting In Downtown Aurora

Protesters could be heard cheering and applauding as the vehicle exploded.

The Kane County Sheriff's Office announced that along with the city of Aurora, Sheriff Ron Hain and Chairman Chris Lauzen have enacted a curfew from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday for Aurora Township.

The curfew also applies to the City of Aurora, where Mayor Richard Irvin also declared a state of emergency.

"Today we hosted a peaceful protest at the Aurora Police Department," Irvin said. "However, once the protest ended, the crowd dispersed and then grew substantially with other participants throughout the streets of Aurora. While Chief (Kristen) Ziman and I were honored to participate in the initial protest, we will not tolerate lawlessness in our city."

Irvin asked everyone to remain at home or work until 6 a.m. Monday.

Ziman also reacted to the day's unrest on Facebook.

"I started my day assembling with good people who wanted to be heard," she said, saying many demonstrators "were hurting — and they were kind and good."

But things took a turn after the group marched peacefully to city hall.

"A group walked to the Outlet Mall but it was fortified with police," Ziman said. "So they went to our downtown and tried to burn it down. They smashed windows of businesses and stole whatever they could from hard-working people who were gearing up to reopen. They set our squad cars on fire, set buildings on fire, and threw bricks at our cops. Our squads have bullet holes. Did your actions today help unite mankind and move closer to the peace we are all fighting to achieve?"

All Interstate 88 entrance ramps to Aurora are closed during the curfew. Aurora residential or employment identification is required to obtain entrance from the interstate, Irvin said.

A state of emergency was also declared in Cook County, and the City of Chicago has implemented a 9 p.m. curfew.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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