OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Officials with the Oklahoma City Police Department say at least 25 people were arrested Saturday during the protest against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“I can’t breathe,” are some of the last words George Floyd uttered before dying beneath the knee of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday, May 25.
Bystander video shows George Floyd pleading for help as officers held him down for at least eight minutes.
46-year-old Floyd was unresponsive and did not have a pulse when EMS arrived to the scene, Minneapolis fire officials said in a report.
Floyd was officially pronounced dead 90 minutes after his encounter with Minneapolis police.
The four officers involved were fired but many, including a friend of Floyd’s here in Oklahoma, are demanding justice.
“We watched as a white officer pressed his knee into the neck of a black man,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
Chauvin was arrested on suspicion of third-degree murder. His bond was set at $500,000.
Protests over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody spread around the United States on Friday, as his case renewed anger over others involving African Americans, police, and race relations.
Protests were largely peaceful as demonstrators marched in the streets from Los Angeles to New York, but destruction, violence, and unrest soon followed in cities like Atlanta, Minneapolis, and even here in Oklahoma City.
A protester poses for photos next to a burning police vehicle in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 30, 2020, during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) 
Protests in Oklahoma City 
DENVER, CO – MAY 29: Police officers fire tear gas at protesters near the Colorado state capitol during a protest on May 29, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. This was the second day of protests in Denver, with more demonstrations planned for the weekend. Demonstrations are being held across the US after George Floyd died in police custody on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.(Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images) 
Protesters gather in Edinburg (source: Salvador Castro CBS 4)
On Saturday around 7:30 p.m., hundreds of Oklahomans gathered at NW 23rd and Classen where protesters blocked traffic.
OKCPD attempted to clear the area several times throughout the evening- arresting several people. Officials say some officers sustained minor injuries during this time.
About 13 demonstrators were arrested by 10:30 p.m.
As the night progressed, the protest moved from the intersection to the Plaza District and then ended in downtown Oklahoma City near police headquarters.
Shortly before midnight, officers began firing tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters and gave them warnings to go home.
Even after tear gas was fired into the crowd, the protesters would disperse for a short time before reconvening and moving closer toward police headquarters.
Just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oklahoma City police warned that a small crowd gathered again at N.W. 23rd and Classen, adding that several business have been vandalized and burglarized. At the same time, officials announced that members of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office were moved outside the Oklahoma County Jail to protect the facility from protesters.
Around 2 a.m., Oklahoma City police began moving further away from headquarters and started putting pressure on the protesters to clear out. As that happened, some protesters could be seen throwing water bottles at officers.
At that point, many protesters decided to leave the area.
Most of the arrested were charged with disorderly conduct or rioting. One man was charged with animal cruelty, but the situation surrounding that is unknown at this time. Two men were arrested on assault charges.
