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Antifa rioters descended on Tacoma, Wash., Causing fires and destroying buildings outraged by the viral video of a policeman driving his squad car through a crowd of illegal street racers.
Videos showed numerous fires and destroyed businesses on Sunday evening as at least 200 people took to the streets near where the officer had walked through a crowd the night before, crushing at least one person.
At least two police cars were damaged during the rampage as some buildings in the city had to be evacuated, according to The News Tribune.
A cheering crowd – dressed in black and seen at one point waving an anti-fascist action flag – was also caught on camera trying to move away the doors protecting the Pierce County Jail by chanting ‘free them all’.
Tacoma Police said they also arrested two people trying to climb onto the roof of an unspecified secure building – claiming they were armed with a handgun, double-bladed knives and batons.
The couple – a 32-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman – wore full black tactical riot gear and ski masks, police told the News Tribune. A third suspect with them escaped, police said.
Other members of the crowd chanted “Black Lives Matter” and called for the police to dispel, and at least one was seen carrying a rifle, the Seattle Times reported. A van full of bottles was on hand to support the protesters, the newspaper said.
Local activists were angry at the destruction they said had been unleashed by foreigners in the city, located about 30 miles south of Seattle, one of the cities most susceptible to the ongoing anti-police riots.
Local business owner Alexander Schelhammer, who said he “stood up” to police and the city in previous peaceful protests, said he confronted some of the crowd as they lit trash cans in the street.
“Someone started to light the fire and I asked them ‘Yo, are you from here? Are you from Tacoma? He said, ‘No,’ Schelhammer told the News Tribune.
“Lighting a burning garbage can in my town is not OK… No one from Tacoma started the fire.
“This protest is not led by people on a Tacoma megaphone,” Schelhammer said.
Journalist Andy Ngo – who recently wrote a book on Antifa – also blamed residents outside for the destruction.
“Antifa from Seattle and other nearby areas carpooled to Tacoma for the rampage” he tweeted.
As Tacoma raged, no protests were reported Sunday in Seattle or Portland, Oregon, peak cities that had seen near-nightly Antifa activity in the previous days.
It was a long way off for both cities as of Saturday, when activists clashed with cops outside a federal immigration and customs control building in Portland, and Seattle Police said that the demonstrators blocked traffic.
Early reports from Tacoma suggested there had been few arrests on Sunday, with Sheriff Ed Troyer telling the News Tribune he didn’t want “people or officers to be injured.”
“If we take out the main instigators by ruining it for everyone, it will ensure it stays peaceful,” the sheriff said.
Tacoma Police said the officer caught on Saturday night in the now-viral video only sped through the crowd because he “feared for his safety” after being surrounded by a crowd banging on his windows .
The 58-year-old patrol officer – who has worked in the force for almost 30 years – has been placed on paid administrative leave during the ongoing investigation.
Video of the incident, which occurred as he tried to break up a group of street runners, was shared widely online and appeared to show at least one person being run over.
The two injured people went to hospital with injuries that are not considered life threatening. One person has since been released, local media reported.
Protesters told news outlets they wanted the officer fired and criticized the city for what they called a lack of transparency.
The Tacoma Community Police Advisory Committee has scheduled a virtual meeting Monday at 6 p.m. to discuss the incident.
With Post Wires
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