Rioters, whom some journalists identified as Antifa and Black Lives Matter supporters, attacked a police station in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Sunday night and threw bricks at police officers.
The attack happened after a Lancaster police officer shot a man, identified by police as Ricardo Munoz, 27, who charged at him with a knife earlier in the day.
The Lancaster Police Department said that a group of more than 100 individuals refused to leave the area after an unlawful assembly had been declared.
“The group failed to follow the instructions and chemical agents were used to disperse the crowd,” the department said in a statement. “Members of the crowd damaged a county vehicle parked in the front of the police station. Bricks were thrown through the front of the police station and into the post office window.”
“People on the ramp, W. Chestnut St. and the park adjacent to the station threw water bottles, glass bottles, rocks, bricks, gallon jugs of liquids and parts of plastic road barricades at Officers,” the statement continued. “OC spray was also deployed at protestors that refused to move from the ramp and were physically challenging Officers that were moving to clear people from the ramp. As of time of this release, protestors are still gathered outside the station and have thrown traffic barricades, large planters and trash receptacles across the ramp. Protestors have also damaged a County of Lancaster vehicle parked on W. Chestnut St.”
Journalists Drew Hernandez and Elijah Schaffer posted videos to social media that showed the rioters attacking the police station and the police officers.
WATCH:
PENNSYLVANIA: black bloc Antifa destroy the windows and body of a Lancaster detective’s car using a bricks
Black lives matter protesters join in and call to light the car on fire pic.twitter.com/3tdCL5zaYi
— ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) September 14, 2020
PENNSYLVANIA: you can see how many projectiles, including water bottles, rocks and brick fragments were thrown at Lancaster police who were clearing the precinct ramp pic.twitter.com/8zLBG3CUcV
— ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) September 14, 2020
PENNSYLVANIA: After rioters began throwing bricks and breaking windows of the police station
Police deploy tear gas and rubber bullets again to clear the street and intersection in front of the police station pic.twitter.com/0xRDMz6o4w
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) September 14, 2020
PENNSYLVANIA: Rioters have begun to throw bricks breaking windows of the police station pic.twitter.com/8zS0aoWn39
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) September 14, 2020
PENNSYLVANIA: Police have made quick work of the rioters barricade and completely run it over then deploy more tear gas to clear the intersection pic.twitter.com/srvrqAZEU4
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) September 14, 2020
PENNSYLVANIA: Last night the BLM rioters seemed to be a bit in experienced with tear gas and continued to result to throwing bricks pic.twitter.com/W6ObWpTaxO
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) September 14, 2020
The violent riots and looting broke out after Munoz died in an officer-involved shooting. “Local authorities quickly released footage from the incident that showed the man running out of house and charging at the police officer with a knife,” The Daily Wire reported. “Police responded to the home after a woman called them to report that her brother was allegedly becoming aggressive with their mother and trying to break into the home.”
“The first officer on the scene walked to the front of the residence and made contact with a woman, who was identified as a family member,” The Lancaster Bureau of Police said in a statement. “A male subject then exited the front door of the residence and began chasing the officer. Preliminary information and body worn camera footage indicates that the male subject had a knife in his right hand as he was chasing the officer. The officer fired several shots from his firearm, striking the subject. The subject, identified as 27 year old Lancaster man, did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer was the only police officer on the scene at the time of the shooting and his body worn camera was activated and recorded the encounter.”
“The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office was contacted immediately and is now conducting an investigation into the officer-involved shooting,” the statement later added. “While the investigation is still in the early stages and is on-going, the Lancaster City Bureau of Police is releasing this video footage after providing it to the investigators.”
A previous version of this article inaccurately described Munoz as a black man.