WATCH protesters SHUT DOWN San Jose freeway as George Floyd rallies sweep the country (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

A large group of demonstrators have swarmed a major highway in San Jose and shut down traffic to protest the police killing of George Floyd, as similar actions are sparked in cities across the nation.

Protesters were seen flooding Highway 101 and blocking the road on Friday evening, many carrying signs and shouting slogans against police brutality. Some engaged in vandalism, smashing car windows as the rally made its way down the freeway.

After a brief time, as cars attempted to break through the makeshift blockade and police amassed nearby, the demonstrators cleared off the roadway, dispersing into the city in different directions. One group has reportedly headed toward the 280 highway.

Similar intense protests – many of them devolving into clashes with police – have erupted in a number of American cities this week, with actions in California, Colorado, New York, Kentucky, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan and Minnesota, where the unrest was first kicked off.

Floyd’s final moments alive were captured in a viral video that emerged earlier this week, showing police officer Derek Chauvin as he pinned the man to the pavement with his knee to his throat, prompting riots, looting and arson in Minnesota’s Twin Cities over the last two days.

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