Protesters overtake major Los Angeles freeway and clash with California Highway Patrol

• Protesters in Los Angeles briefly overtook the 101 Freeway and shattered the windows of at least two law enforcement vehicles.
• Video from the incident shows protesters swarming a California Highway Patrol vehicle on the freeway, and some protesters fall as the car drives on.
• Another highway patrol cruiser drove slowly and parked alongside an injured protester, only to have its rear windshield shattered and its body panel to be kicked by the protesters.

Protesters in Los Angeles briefly overtook the 101 Freeway and shattered the windows of at least two law enforcement vehicles on Wednesday afternoon.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Los Angeles — downtown near the civic center — following the Monday death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was pinned down on his neck by Minneapolis police officer's knee. Video captured by bystanders during the incident showed Floyd's arrest, which has sparked outrage throughout the country.

In the video, Floyd could be heard in pain and complaining that he was not able to breathe. Four officers, including one who subdued Floyd using a knee against the neck, were on scene. The officers have since been fired from the police department.

Protesters took to the streets in Los Angeles two days after Floyd's death. Several dozen people in the group gathered on the freeway during rush-hour, prompting the California Highway Patrol to respond.

Video from the scene showed several protesters swarm the highway patrol cruiser as it was moving. As several of them appear to hop off of the car, one of them fell and appeared to hit his head.

Another highway patrol cruiser drove slowly and parked alongside the protester, only to have its rear windshield shattered and its body panel to be kicked by protesters.

—Samantha Cortese (@SamanthaCortese) May 28, 2020

The protesters who fell down was taken by ambulance to the hospital, according to KTTV.

Similar protests were held in Minneapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday. Police officers deployed tear gas and other crowd-control methods to disperse hundreds of protesters.

In a tweeted statement Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, "Peaceful demonstrations are a hallmark of our country. Violence is unwarranted and takes away from the message. I urge all of us to protest peacefully for the sake of everyone's public safety."

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