Array
Six people were arrested after a peaceful protest over a proposed police training ground turned violent in Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday night, police said.
According to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, people protesting a new police training ground gathered around 5 p.m. and marched peacefully until, once downtown, several of the protestors „started committing illegal acts, which included the breaking of windows and also attacking police cruisers that were in the area.“
Police suppressed the violence quickly and no law enforcement officers or citizens were injured, Schierbaum said.
Three businesses, however, sustained damages, he said.
Mayor Andre Dickens said that some of tonight’s protestors traveled in from elsewhere.
„Many of them don’t even live in Atlanta or in the state of Georgia, and they don’t represent the voices of Atlanta,“ he said, adding that some of the protestors were armed with explosives.
Dickens confirmed that a police car was lit on fire.
Gov. Brian Kemp condemned the acts of violence on Twitter.
„Violence and unlawful destruction of property are not acts of protest.
