NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – About 400 people were arrested Sunday, the fourth day protesters took to the streets and bridges of New York City expressing their rage over the death of George Floyd in Mineapolis police custody.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea announced the number of arrests during De Blasio's briefing on Monday.
Citywide vandalism, fires, and lootings were shared on social media platforms as groups smashed into luxury stores and began taking items.
NYPD's Chief Department Terence Monahan told 1010 WINS on Monday that there are no plans to call in National Guard or state police. "We can handle it, we know the real residents of NYC, the real community members, we have to get the outside agitators out of NYC."
"Stop looting" was heard as a group looted a Game Stop store near Union Square Sunday night.
Rioters also set fires including a dumpster and an unoccupied NYPD police vehicle on Broadway in Soho.
The largest protests were at the Barclays Center, Williamsburg and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, as well as in the East Village, Times Square, Bryant Park and Union Square in Manhattan. There were various other gatherings across the city, including in Jamaica, Queens.
Protesters blocked traffic in some areas, but the violence didn't begin until later in the evening.
Hundreds of protesters took to Times Square, many of them kneeling on the street as police watched on, while in Brooklyn hundreds more walked through the streets of Williamsburg.
"Just checked on situation around the Barclays Center," Mayor Bill De Blasio tweeted. "Lots of protesters moving around and plenty of police presence ... Just checked on Union Square. At this moment, limited protest activity."
But the mayor's assessment didn't sit well with NYC City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who tweeted, "What?! You aren’t seeing the same thing as everyone else tonight!"
Photos and video show protesters marching through the streets amid a heavy police presence and boarded up businesses.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the National Guard is on standby and that hundreds of additional troopers are being made available in Buffalo and Rochester.
“We expect additional protests tonight and we’re preparing for such,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing.
The governor also said state Attorney General Letitia James’s investigation into actions by NYPD officers and protesters will include any protests held throughout the weekend.
Cleanup was under way Sunday morning in New York City, which is still under a lockdown enacted two months ago when it became the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
At least five burned-out NYPD vehicles that remained near Manhattan’s Union Square were towed early Sunday afternoon.