Tear gas & flash-bangs outside Colorado State Capitol as protesters defy Denver curfew

Denver police have warned citizens that they will be arrested if they don’t abide by the curfew, introduced after Black Lives Matter protests escalated into clashes with reports of sporadic looting across the city.

The protest march began peacefully but escalated into violence on Saturday afternoon as some in the crowd started throwing fireworks and water bottles at police, local media reported.

The officers responded with flash-bangs and tear gas, attempting to disperse the protesters in the Civic Central Park where the Colorado State Capitol is based.

At least one protester was reported to have been hospitalized after getting hit by a projectile.

Police said they have confiscated crowbars, chains, pliers, axes, and other tools typically used by looters to break into shops.   

A curfew was imposed in Denver from 8pm to 5am, with police warning citizens that they will be arrested if they fail to leave “all public areas.” Curfews had earlier been imposed in downtown Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, Utah, where rioting also occurred.

The demonstrations in several other major cities across the US were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd, an unarmed black man, died when a white police officer pinned him on the ground and pressed a knee on his neck in an attempted arrest.

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