Crime & Safety
14 Arrested At St. Pete's Sunday Protest: Police
Protests were mostly peaceful in St. Pete on Sunday prior to people throwing rocks and bottles at police and smashing a patrol car window.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Fourteen people were arrested in front of the St. Petersburg Police Department Sunday night following two days of protests related to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Protests were mostly peaceful in St. Pete as protesters marched downtown for 11 hours on Sunday. Close to 11 p.m., as almost 200 protesters expressed their voices in front of the police department, a person tore water meter covers off and threw them at officers, said a news release. Then some people started throwing rocks and bottles at officers, police said. Several officers were hit, and a patrol car window was smashed.
Afterward officers deployed smoke and told the crowd to leave, police said. Individuals who didn't leave were arrested. Authorities said tear gas was not used on the protesters. St. Pete police arrested 14 for unlawful assembly. Pinellas Sheriff's Office and Pinellas Park Police provided backup for St. Pete Police. One St. Pete police officer experienced minor injuries, but no other injuries were reported by police.
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As Tampa experienced protests that turned violent and resulted in over 40 arrests on Saturday night, St. Petersburg had a more peaceful experience with protests that day. Two arrests were made in St. Pete on Saturday night in connection with the protests, said St. Pete police.
More than 300 protesters attended Saturday's protests in front of city hall and the police department. Chief Anthony Holloway said that out of those people in attendance, only around 15 gave police trouble. A person was arrested for jumping on someone's car as it passed by the front of St. Pete Police Department, and another person was arrested for physically attacking protesters. Authorities have not released the identities of the individuals arrested in connection with the weekend protests.
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