Photos: Hundreds Gather In Temecula, Protesting Police Violence

TEMECULA, CA — Hundreds of people gathered at the Temecula Duck Pond Saturday, protesting the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, in a demonstration that became tense but remained peaceful.

Two protests were held at the duck pond Saturday, with one in the afternoon resulting in an hourslong standoff between demonstrators and sheriff's deputies.

Social media posts of the rallies showed demonstrators spread out near the corner of Ynez and Rancho California roads holding signs and chanting "Black lives matter" as passing vehicles honked in support.

brought my kids out to the peaceful protest here in Temecula #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/ZhurQfvct9
— Parris (@vicious696) May 30, 2020

During the morning protest that began at 10 a.m., one person was struck by a vehicle and suffered minor injuries, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, though the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities.

Sheriff's officials said the driver lost control of the vehicle, and they did not believe the crash was intentional, but an investigation continues.

More tension was visible between law enforcement personnel and protesters during the afternoon protest, which began at 3 p.m..

Deputies, some wearing gas masks, lined up and ordered protesters to disperse at about 4:30 p.m., according to posts on social media. However, demonstrators defied the order and remained in and around the park until about 6:30 p.m. when the crowd began to thin out.

A Facebook page for the protesters said they would be "promoting awareness about police brutality and racism in the justice system as well as handing out resources people can use to urge the DA to get the officers responsible for George Floyd's murder charged with their crimes."

Floyd's death on Monday was caught in a viral video showing 44-year- old Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pressing a knee on Floyd's neck as he pleaded for air during an arrest.

As onlookers begged for the officer to back down, the video shows Chauvin continued pinning Floyd for more than eight minutes, according to witnesses, even as Floyd became unresponsive.

Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday.

On Friday, Chauvin was arrested. He has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Protests have sprung up across the country in response to the killing.

In Los Angeles, a state of emergency was declared and National Guard troops arrived Sunday morning following a day of intense protest and widespread looting overnight.

Correction: an earlier version of this article misstated the name of George Floyd.

City News Service and Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.