Soho in New York City was ravaged by looters on Sunday night who smashed the windows of luxury stores like Gucci, Chanel and Bloomingdales to steal goods in a wild night of riots that saw more than 250 arrests, cops being injured and one man being shot.
It remains unclear if those who smashed up the stores were part of protests against George Floyd's death, or if they belonged to different groups and were merely taking advantage of the chaos unfolding across the country.
Across New York City on Sunday night, more than 250 people were arrested. Six cops were injured, none seriously, and a man in his twenties was shot in the abdomen after an argument with a different group of young men.
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| Looters smash the windows at Kate Spade on Sunday night to steal goods from the windows |
The man was shot at 12.30am at the corner of Crosby Street and Spring Street, a stone's throw from the stores that were ransacked. He is in the hospital in a stable condition.
NYPD cops in riot gear patrolled the streets and helicopters hovered above the neighbourhood - known for its trendy restaurants, luxury clothing stores and expensive apartments - throughout the night.
Similar scenes played out in cities across the country in a sixth night of riots and protests over Floyd's death. The unarmed 46-year-old black man died on Monday in Minneapolis after cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
Chauvin has now been charged with his murder but three other cops involved are yet to face charges.
His death has sparked a national conversation about racism and police brutality amid a backdrop of a country that had already been shaken by economic uncertainty and public health fears caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Chanel in Soho on Monday morning after looters smashed windows to ransack luxury stores in another night of chaos
The looters pulled down plywood to get into the stores. They are not thought to have been part of the Floyd protests
A young man on a Citibike on Monday morning after taking from Balmain, one of the many stores that was looted on Sunday night
Street cleaners on Monday morning in Soho. Boxes of goods from the stores were also seen lying in the streets
The smashed window at G-Shock on West Broadway on Monday morning
Happy Socks on West Broadway on Monday morning
NYPD officers on Monday morning outside Chanel in New York City. More than 250 people were arrested in NYC on Sunday night
Another jewelry store on West Broadway that had its windows smashed on Sunday night
Jewelry store Aurate on Monday morning after being smashed up by the looters
The looting in Soho happened on Sunday night as;
- President Trump was whisked to a bunker while protesters descended on the White House, throwing Molotov cocktails and injuring 50 Secret Service agents
- A protester was reportedly shot dead in Louisville, Kentucky
- Mayor Bill de Blasio's daughter was arrested at a protest in New York City
- An armed vigilante in California pulled a gun on rioters who tried to hold up a bank
- Across the country, peaceful protesters tried to stop violent opportunists from ransacking stores
- In Louisville, protesters formed a human chain to protect one cop who became separated from his unit and outnumbered by crowds
- Other cops dropped to their knees in shows of solidarity with protesters and some abandoned riot gear to march with crowds peacefully
- In Minneapolis, a tanker plowed through crowds of protesters on a highway; he was then pulled from the rig and beaten by crowds
On Sunday night, President Trump was whisked to a bunker as protesters descended on the White House. More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in the clashes.
In New York City, the looters reportedly distributed goods to each other after smashing stores before police arrived.
When it got dark it got ugly and it got ugly quick
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea
Dozens were arrested on Sunday night and more were still being taken into custody on Monday morning.
Commissioner Dermot Shea said on Today that the entire weekend was 'incredibly challenging' for cops.
'Ninety per cent of yesterday went very well. Five or six thousand protesters throughout New York City, less violence as the days before. The majority of the protesters were peaceful making their point.
'When it got dark it got ugly and it got ugly quick. We had some violence, we had another incident of an individual with a Molotov cocktail in Brooklyn.
'We had an individual, two officers in a parked car in Queens, a bullet hit that car. That's clearly alarming to us. The looting. The looting turned very quickly in portions of the city, in Brooklyn, and primarily in Manhattan
'There were hundreds and hundreds of arrests in a very short time in that area and some are still going on. It was a very challenging time for police officers,' he said.
An NYPD cop points his gun at a man who was driving erratically and crashing into cars in Soho on Sunday night
The man crashed into multiple vehicles while looters ran riot in the streets. He was arrested outside Balthazar
The man was pulled from the vehicle by an NYPD cop
Dozens of people were arrested in Soho on Sunday night, including the driver of the car. Cops knelt on his back to subdue him
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