Protests over George Floyd’s death continue flaring up across U.S.

Violent protests continued spreading across the United States on Friday, the fourth straight day after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, pleaded “I can’t breathe” before dying in police custody in Minneapolis, the biggest city in the midwest state of Minnesota, on Monday.

The White House went into lockdown on Friday evening as hundreds of protesters gathered outside. One protester sprayed the Freedman’s Bank Building while some other protesters clashed with Secret Service personnel, witnesses said. Videos showed some protesters burnt flags and knocked over barricades.

“Secret Service personnel are currently assisting other law enforcement agencies during a demonstration in Lafayette Park (outside the White House). In the interest of public safety we encourage all to remain peaceful,” the Secret Service tweeted. At least one person was reportedly taken into custody.

In downtown Atlanta, southern state Georgia, a demonstration that began peacefully became chaotic as protesters set a police car on fire, struck officers with bottles, vandalized the headquarters of CNN and broke into a restaurant, the USA Today reported.

The protesters spray-painted the large, iconic CNN logo outside the building, breaking a windowed entrance. One protester climbed on top of the sign and waved a “Black Lives Matter” flag to cheers from the crowd, said the report.

In Minneapolis, unrest continued Friday night as protesters gathered and chanted “No justice, no peace, prosecute the police!” in the streets around the police station blazed a night earlier, defying a citywide curfew imposed earlier in the day. Law enforcement officials fired tear gas into the streets and patrolled in military vehicles.

In Indianapolis, the state capital and most populous city of midwest state Indiana, nearly 100 people took part in a six-hour-long demonstration in downtown Friday afternoon that lasted til the evening, protesting the fatal shooting of a black man earlier this month by an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer and other deaths across the country, local media reported.