After a weekend of clashes between police and protesters, police investigators are looking for the people they say sparked the violence. The protests were held in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who was killed in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis.
In Pittsburgh, police are looking for 20-year-old Brian Bartels, who they say broke windows out of a police vehicle “against the wishes of peaceful protesters who tried to stop him,” sparking an increase in the violence, WPXI reported
A search warrant at a home in Shaler uncovered items they say linked him to the crime. According to WPXI, the items included two firearms, unspecified books, gloves, spray paint and a sweatshirt with unspecified writing on the front.
You can read: “Communities of color are tired of reliving atrocities such as this over and over again”
Erie saw violence over the weekend, too, and like many other cities, officials there say it was started by people from out of town, according to the Erie Times-News.
Police Chief Dan Spizarny said, “this violence was clearly planned ahead of time by a small group.” He stated that according to reports, “it was very similar to the way riots unfolded in other cities across the country and was clearly following the same playbook.”
While the people who were charged were from Erie, officials say the violence was sparked by “professional rioters” from out of town.
In describing the events that led to violence between police and protesters on Saturday, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse and Harrisburg Police Commissioner Thomas Carter said they believe the cause was an influx of people who were not residents of the city.
Papenfuse said the protest was peaceful during the first few hours of the event. However, a new group showed up that he said was the “spark” of violence.
“I think there were other agendas there at work,” Papenfuse said. “There were clearly agendas there — anarchist and other agendas — that were about inciting violence. And frankly inciting violence has nothing to do with the dialogue that we need to have about how we can deal with racial disparities within our communities and within our criminal justice system.”
Noticias Newswire
