The latest protest for Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man killed in a hail of gunfire, turned violent in Akron, Ohio. As police pushed into the crowd to “deescalate” things, demonstrators were harmed and arrested, two of them being Jacob Blake’s father and Breonna Taylor’s aunt, per FOX 8 News.
Videos of the chaos following the protest outside the Akron Police Department circulated social media. Mayor Dan Horrigan had lifted the curfew put in place in response to the ongoing protests last weeks, per FOX 8. However, the crowds returned Wednesday to demand justice upon the release of the video footage of the fatal shooting.
Officers then responded with tear gas to disperse the crowd and said anyone on the street downtown was subject to be arrested. Jacob Blake Sr. and Bianca Austin were arrested on charges of rioting, according to court records.
More on the incident from Newsweek:
A video posted on Twitter by @FamilysSoupTV captured the moment officers restrained Jacob Blake Sr., while other protesters yelled at police to let him go.
“He’s handicapped! That’s Jacob Blake Sr.! You know who that is, right?” the person behind the camera can be heard shouting.
Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, was “manhandled” by officers, according to the tweet posted alongside the clip.
“The moment the Police moved in, Bianca Austin was manhandled. Me and Cortez Rice were bear maced. Activists Pressure was assaulted. He had his head slammed on the ground, the truck and was punched by cops, and Jacob Blake Sr was pinned,” it said.
In various tweets, people reacted to the footage of demonstrators getting punched, pinned down and restrained by police. Other activists such as Activists Pressure and Cortez Rice were allegedly assaulted and bear maced, according to videos posted to Twitter.
Reports say Blake Sr. was beaten and taken to Akron General Hospital where a soft lockdown was placed until he was released. Blake and Austin are expected to be arraigned Thursday morning per FOX 8. The Akron Municipal Courthouse will be closed to the public and will be until Saturday July 9.