Police Use Pepper Spray, Deploy Flash Bangs At Manassas Protest

MANASSAS, VA — A Manassas-area demonstration against the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis began peacefully early Saturday evening with people carrying signs at Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive. Later in the evening, though, the scene grew more tense as people threw objects at police and police fired pepper spray and deployed flash bangs at protesters.

At 8:10 p.m. Saturday, about two hours into the protest, the Prince William County Police Department declared the protest an unlawful assembly and requested help from the Virginia State Police. The police said the protest had become "unruly."

Some protesters were observed standing on top of motorists' vehicles that were stopped as a result of the protest and atop businesses in the area, the Prince William County police said Sunday in a statement.

"Prince William County officers, with assistance from the Virginia State police, attempted to regain order as crowds were estimated at approximately 250 during its peak," the police department said.

The Virginia State Police said in a news release that they fired OC pepper spray and powder at the protesters. One state police trooper was struck in the head with a brick, but suffered only a minor injury as his helmet took the brunt of the impact. A second trooper suffered a minor injury when struck in the leg with a rock, the state police said.

Four Prince William County police officers were injured, one sustaining a significant head injury requiring treatment at an area hospital, the police said. Five arrests were made during the protest.

The police did not provide any information on how many protesters and residents were injured.

Additional officers from the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office, Manassas City police, Fairfax County police and Haymarket police also were called to assist with clearing out the protesters.

Virginia State Del. Lee Carter of Manassas said on Twitter that he was tear-gassed by police after identifying himself as a member of the House of Delegates. He also said he had a flash bang deployed at his feet and tweeted a photo of himself holding a canister of a flash bang.

Virginia State Del. Danica Roem, who also represents parts of the Manassas area, tweeted early Sunday morning that "the use of pepper-spray and projectiles by police tonight against protesters in Manassas demanding justice after murder, violence and racism toward the Black community was wrong."

"The people have a right to exercise their First Amendment rights and be heard without being harmed," Roem said.

At about 1 a.m. Sunday, the protesters left the area, the police said. During the protests, several businesses along the Sudley Road corridor were damaged. Numerous police vehicles were also damaged throughout the evening, the police said.