TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) – Four people were arrested after protests erupted in Tulsa this week, police say.
Protests have erupted across the country after George Floyd, a black man, died last week after a white Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.
Chauvin, one of four officers fired after Floyd’s death, was arrested and charged with murder on Friday.
On June 2, a large crowd gathered at Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa, with small groups of criminals breaking windows and throwing rocks at patrol units.
Tulsa police say the National Guard was called to assist with the incident, and added that “several agitators” were mixed in with the crowd.
Authorities arrested Richard Berumen who allegedly was inciting a crowd, throwing rocks at officers, and used a shopping cart to break out windows of a business.
According to police, Berumen is a Tulsa resident.
He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on several complaints including incitement to riot, assault with a dangerous weapon and second-degree burglary.
“We found that the majority of individuals causing problems over the last couple of nights appeared to be teenagers or young adults,” said Tulsa police on Facebook.
Three others, Landon Johnson, Terrell Mayfield, and Keith Warren, were arrested “for their participation in illegal activity during the lawless part of the protest,” officials said.
Tulsa police say the majority of the protesters are expressing themselves without violence towards police or the destruction of property. However, the criminals who are causing problems are doing so while hiding among those not causing problems.
