Ten people were arrested and a half-dozen patrol cars were damaged after protests led to unrest in Gainesville, law enforcement said.
Demonstrators gathered near the pedestrian bridge off Jesse Jewell Parkway on Saturday afternoon to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis.
RELATED: Protests spread to metro Atlanta, Gainesville Saturday night
The Gainesville event began peacefully with fewer than 20 marchers, the police department said in a statement. By 8:30 p.m., the number of protesters had begun to grow, according to police.
At some point, protesters began leaving the pedestrian bridge and entering the main roadway, the department said. Hall County sheriff’s deputies and Oakwood police officers arrived to “assist in maintaining a safe environment,” officials said.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Atlanta protests
“Later on into the night, we began experiencing civil unrest through the destruction of our businesses and community,” police said.
A Target shopping center was burglarized and the windows of the Slack Auto Parts store were broken, police said. Six police cars were also vandalized, according to the department.
Nine people were taken into custody on Saturday night, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
On Sunday night, after protesters gathered for a second round of demonstrations, the sheriff’s office arrested a man who “used paint to vandalize the Old Joe statue on Gainesville Square.”
The man, identified as 24-year-old Tyler Dalton Moye, is charged with interference with government property, second-degree criminal damage to property and obstruction. He was released from the Hall County Jail Monday on a $14,350 bond.
The other people who were arrested face charges ranging from disorderly conduct to public drunkenness. No injuries were reported, police said.
In other news:
About the Author
