At least 40 arrested at New York City protest over George Floyd case

At least 40 people were arrested Thursday evening in a New York City Black Lives Matter protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, police said.

The New York Police Department confirmed with NBC New York that 40 people had been arrested throughout the night, including one who was carrying a knife and another who allegedly punched an officer in the face. 

Another individual who was arrested reportedly threw a garbage can at an officer, hitting him in the head, police said. Two officers were injured during the protests.

Almost 100 demonstrators came face-to-face with police in Union Square, resulting in a few scuffles erupting between protesters and officers, the news outlet reported. Officers said the “violent” protesters were spitting all over them, ABC7 New York reported. 

The protesters yelled different chants, including one of Floyd’s final statements “I can’t breathe,” and moved toward city hall. Police said some demonstrations ended before 5:30 p.m., and others continued but were under control, according to NBC New York.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was detained and subsequently died in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday. A bystander video recording showed one officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for at least eight minutes, while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. 

The video sparked outrage across the country, and many, including the Minneapolis mayor, called for the officers involved in the arrest to be charged with Floyd’s death. 

Minnesota prosecutors said Thursday that they would not “rush” to press charges against the officers. The officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck on Tuesday was fired along with three others involved in the arrest, but none of them have faced charges as of Thursday evening. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Thursday evening commented on the video of Floyd’s detainment, saying he was “horrified,” and that if Floyd was white, “he would be alive right now.”

I’ve seen the video. I am horrified. George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight and the man who killed him was a police officer — and that officer didn’t seem to care at all that he was taking a man’s life.

If George was white, he would be alive right now.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 28, 2020

The phrase “I can’t breathe” initially became a chant after Eric Garner repeatedly said it as a New York police officer held him in a chokehold in 2014 before he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

New York City remains under its PAUSE orders limiting large gatherings after the city has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.