11 protesting Kenosha police shooting arrested after jail damaged in Minneapolis

A demonstration in downtown Minneapolis in response to police shooting a Black man in the back in Kenosha, Wis., turned destructive and led to 11 people being arrested late Monday and early Tuesday outside the Hennepin County jail.

The arrests came after some of about 100 demonstrators broke windows at the jail and threatened to breach its security, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The crowd dispersed shortly after 1 a.m. as deputies made the arrests.

The protesters gathered downtown earlier in the evening at the Minneapolis Police Department's First Precinct headquarters before moving to the jail, the Sheriff's Office said.

Minneapolis police made five arrests of their own near the downtown precinct headquarters, said department spokesman John Elder. One was on suspicion of property damage and the others for misdemeanor offenses, Elder said.

"We believe that's what brought the demonstrators to the jail," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Andy Skoogman. "They were yelling and chanting to release those who had been arrested."

A protester used a piece of pavement to break the glass of a jail facility entry as deputies stood just on the other side, and "once the window was busted, that's when deputies began making arrests," Skoogman said.

The attempted security breaches also included demonstrators trying to ziptie exterior doors to the jail and blocking a garage where inmates are transported in and out, Skoogman said.

A Metro Transit police officer suffered a dislocated finger during an altercation with demonstrators and was treated by medical personnel, an agency spokeswoman said.

Ahead of any further unrest, Skoogman said, "We'll review the incident from last night and this morning, monitor the situation and make any plans as appropriate."

Sheriff Dave Hutchinson said in a statement that "we fully support peaceful protests, but we cannot — and will not — allow demonstrators to destroy property or jeopardize the safety and security of our inmates, our deputies and our jail."

Speakers addressed the crowd from steps leading to the second floor of the Hennepin County Government Center. Many carried signs as chants filled the plaza.

"KKKenosha officers shot him 7 times in the back on camera. What do they do off camera?" read one woman's sign.

The demonstrators under arrest are suspected of riot, property damage and illegal assembly.

The unrest in downtown Minneapolis unfolded as anger over the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake by a white police officer spilled into the streets of Kenosha for a second night Monday.

Police again fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew, threw bottles and shot fireworks at officers guarding the courthouse.

The late-night protest in Minneapolis also came three months after George Floyd died while being detained by police on the pavement at E. 38th Street and S. Chicago Avenue.

Four officers have been charged in the death of Floyd, who became unresponsive as a white officer knelt on the handcuffed Black man's neck for several minutes.

Floyd's death spurred days of violent unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and led to protests around the globe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482