Fires, Looting Continue In Philly, Hundreds Arrested: Police

LATEST UPDATES: 378 Fires Reported, 429 Arrested In 2 Days

PHILADELPHIA — Fires broke out, more stores were looted, and vandalism occurred in parts of Philadelphia overnight Sunday into Monday. Dozens more arrests were made, according to officials.

More than 200 people have been arrested since unrest began Saturday following protests over Minneapolis Police Office Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes

Philadelphia Police Monday morning said a total of 222 people have been arrested. Of those arrests, 118 were for curfew violations, 98 were for looting/burglary, three were for assault on police, and one each were for rioting, vandalism, and other crimes.

According to the Philadelphia Fire Department, several fires broke out overnight.

A Rent-A-Center store in Kensington was set ablaze after being looted and reached three alarms, but Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said crews worked quickly to save a row of occupied homes adjacent to the store.

About a dozen other fires broke out at in West Philadelphia, South West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Port Richmond, and other neighborhoods, according to the fire department.

The Pennsylvania National Guard is maintaining a presence in Center City, where a majority of unrest occurred Saturday, which included stores being looted, fires set, and vandalism. Gov. Wolf gave the order to activate the National Guard, after receiving requests from municipalities statewide.

President Donald Trump called on the National Guard to step in amid the unrest in Philadelphia Sunday.

Protests and looting have also occurred in places like Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, and the Philadelphia suburbs have seen incidents at the King of Prussia Mall, Limerick Outlets, and elsewhere.

At least 13 Philadelphia police officers were injured. Seven suffered chemical burns to their face, and four suffered injuries to their extremities, police said. All officers were treated at nearby hospitals.

The city issued a curfew from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday and closed most Center City streets, as well as the Ben Franklin Bridge. Officials said at about 10:30 a.m. Monday the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Interstate 676 and all of its exits, and the Center City traffic box, have reopened.

SEPTA suspended much of its service overnight but resumed service at 6 a.m. Monday. However, bus routes 2, 5, 9, 17, 21, 23, 32, 33, 38, 42, 45, 47, 48, 57, 61, 124, 125 will not operate through Center City until further notice, SEPTA said.

The aftermath of the chaos — which began as a peaceful demonstration along the Parkway — left Walnut and Chestnut streets and parts of the surrounding neighborhoods strewn with clumps of trash, as this clip from the Philadelphia Inquirer shows. Expletives were scrawled in graffiti across the fronts of shops and the sides of buildings. Numerous storefronts were damaged or destroyed. Broken glass coated parts of the sidewalk and streets.

Action News' TaRhonda Thomas reported community members were out cleaning the area of 52nd and Market streets in West Philadelphia Monday morning. On Sunday morning, many residents were out cleaning up Center City after Saturday night's events.

Cities nationwide are dealing with similar unrest.

Outside the White House, buildings were set ablaze, while violence and looting continued in Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles and beyond.

In Minneapolis, where violence has calmed somewhat after nearly a week of chaos, the tanker truck driver was taken in custody after speeding through marchers on the Interstate 35W Bridge, authorities said.

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