Protests continued for another night in the city of Rochester, calling for justice in the death of Daniel Prude.
What You Need To Know
- Protests continued for another night in the city of Rochester following the death of Daniel Prude
- Tear gas was deployed by the RPD to attempt to disperse the crowds
- Rochester police say 11 arrests were made Friday night
- RPD says three officers were injured Friday night
Crowds gathered early in the night, and by 11 p.m. Hundreds of protesters reached the Court Street Bridge where they were met with police in riot gear.
It was a back and forth moment. At one point, police said over a loud speaker "this is now an unlawful protest, please disperse."
Most of the protesters did disperse and head back towards MLK Junior Park, while some continued to clash with police.
RPD says some members of the crowd began throwing rocks, bottles, and other forms of debris. Police used pepper balls and spray to break up the part of the crowd back towards South Avenue.
This crowd eventually began to break up.
About an hour later at midnight, Rochester police and another large crowd of protesters clashed again at the intersection of Court Street and South Clinton.
Spectrum News crews at this scene saw fireworks being set off in the street.
At least one protester threw a firework at the police barricade in front of them.
Tear gas was deployed by the RPD to attempt to disperse the crowds. Police say that the only use of tear gas during the night.
Additionally, throughout the night Spectrum News crews saw multiple fires being set downtown, ranging from small fires set in garbage cans to a fire in a bus terminal on Court Street.
Rochester police say 11 arrests were made during last night’s riots. The charges range from rioting, unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct.
Of the 11 arrests, seven were issued appearance tickets and four were remanded to the Monroe County Jail.
RPD says three officers were injured as a result of the projectiles thrown at them. All three officers required hospitalization and were later released.
However, one protester said Rochester police escalated the situation.
"I was slightly disappointed but I guess not surprised by it,” said Kaylee Leone of Webster regarding the escalation of the protest. “Yeah it’s scar. At least I thought they’d say it a few times, maybe say you have a few minutes or set a specific time on it, but no it was here’s the command 3 seconds and here we go,"
Rochester police also commented on its use of tear gas on the gathering. The department says the gas, along with pepper balls and pepper spray, were used in order "prevent serious physical injury to both officers and spectators.”
Spectrum News will continue to have more coverage on this developing story throughout the day.