State Of Minnesota Takes Over Protest Response In Minneapolis

TWIN CITIES, MN — Gov. Tim Walz announced Friday that the state of Minnesota will now take over the response to the violent protests that have erupted in Minneapolis in the days after George Floyd's death. Walz and Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen both said at a news conference that the city of Minneapolis failed to provide a clear plan of action for soldiers, which caused a delay in their arrival.

BREAKING: George Floyd Death: Former Cop Derek Chauvin Charged With Murder

On Thursday afternoon, protests moved to Saint Paul, where demonstrators threw rocks, liquor bottles, and bricks at police in the area of the Target on University Avenue, authorities said, as officers tried to get the crowd to disperse. A fire also broke out an auto shop.

On Thursday night, Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct building was abandoned by police, taken over by demonstrators and heavily burned.

"Shortly after 10:00 pm tonight, in the interest of the safety of our personnel, the Minneapolis Police Department evacuated the 3rd Precinct of its staff," police said in a statement.

"Protesters forcibly entered the building and have ignited several fires."

Trump threatens Minnesota looters

Twitter has hidden one of President Donald Trump's tweets about the riots in Minneapolis. The social media platform says it "violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence."

"These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way," Trump wrote.

"Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

CNN reporter gets arrest, Walz intervenes

CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez was arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol in Minneapolis Friday morning while his camera crew was rolling live.

"If you're just tuning in, you are watching our correspondent, Omar Jimenez, being arrested by state police in Minnesota," anchor Alisyn Camerota, clearly shocked by the situation, said in studio while the arrest was taking place live.

"We're not sure why our correspondent is being arrested."

The news station called on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to release their employees "immediately." After the arrest, Walz apologized to CNN President Jeff Zucker.

Jimenez and his crew have since been released. The state patrol said they were let go once they were confirmed to be members of the media. However, CNN disputes the state patrol's account of the arrest and says it was a violation of the First Amendment.