Protests over George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, have spread to other parts of the country. Riots broke out at media giant CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The protests which started with sloganeering soon got out of control with police officers attacked, cars destroyed and the headquarters defaced.
Protests first erupted after a video of Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, being killed by police officers in Minneapolis, appeared. Four officers were captured attacking Floyd, with one identified as Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd's neck while he gasped for breath. Floyd later died, leading to widespread protests in the country.
CNN's Atlanta Headquarters Attacked
On Thursday, protesters, carrying banners that read "A Good Cop is Dead Cop", "All cops are B**t**ds" and "Stop Lynching", gathered outside CNN's headquarters in Atlanta. As the protesters' ranks swelled, SWAT units, that use military equipment and tactics in law enforcement, were called in. They were greeted by water bottles and other objects.
Despite the huge presence of law enforcement units, CNN's logo was painted with graffiti. The glass of the main entrance was then broken, drawing jubilation from the crowd. SWAT units were called in to prevent further destruction.
The protesters then moved towards the police vehicles, broke their glasses using flagpoles, banners and other objects. At least one police car was set on fire. They chanted "F**k CNN" as police intervened to disperse the crowd.
They attacked CNN's office, despite police being present inside the building. In one such incident, a man smashed glass panes of the office, despite guns pointed at him. At one point in the rampage, the police were attacked with a firecracker inside the CNN building.
According to a statement by the Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos, the protesters threw BB guns, bottles, bricks and even knives at the police, leaving at least three officers injured, the New York Post reported.
