Protests Rock Minneapolis On 3rd Night; Fire Burns At Precinct

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct building was on fire Thursday night as protesters once again took to the streets, marking the third night of demonstrations following the death of George Floyd. The 46-year-old man died after being arrested Monday and a video of his arrest that has now been seen countless times shows a police officer place his knee on Floyd's neck as the man says he cannot breathe.

Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.

According to reports from the scene, flames could be seen coming from the 3rd precinct buildingand police officers and staff had evacuated the building shortly after 10 p.m. In a statement, Minneapolis police said protesters forcibly entered the building and "ignited several fires."

City officials said they had unconfirmed reports that gas lines to the precinct had been cut and other explosive materials are inside the building, urging people near the building to retreat for their own safety.

The Minnesota National Guard, which was activated by Gov. Tim Walz earlier in the day, said 500 soldiers were being sent to Saint Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding communities.

"Our mission is to protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate," the National Guard said in a statement. "A key objective is to ensure fire departments are able to respond to calls."

Earlier in the day, demonstrators in nearby Saint Paul 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. At the Saint Paul protest, a fire broke out an auto shop.

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• George Floyd’s Girlfriend: Riots Would Have Devastated Him

Amid the protests, Target announced it was closing two dozen locations in the Twin Cities area and several businesses had boarded up to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the protests. Minneapolis shut down nearly its entire light-rail system and all bus service through Sunday out of safety concerns.

On Wednesday, dozens of buildings along Lake Street in Minneapolis were broken into, looted, and burned while Lake Street Target store was completely ransacked, and an Auto Zone location was burned down.

Earlier in the day, federal and local law enforcement officials pleaded for the community to be patient as they conducted their investigations into Floyd's death. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he would not rush to justice and officials reiterated that it was important to get the investigation right.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This report is being updated.