The Third Precinct police station in Minneapolis was set ablaze Thursday night as riots continued in the city following Monday's death of George Floyd, who died while in police custody.
Rioters broke into the precinct around 10 p.m. local time, after police on the rooftop previously tried to disperse a gathering crowd using "flash bang" shots and tear gas, Fox News reports.
The rioters entered the building and sparked the fire after police officers on the roof were rescued by helicopter, reports said.
Mayor Jacob Frey told Fox9 he made the call to evacuate officers from the precinct just before rioters set the building on fire.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has called in the National Guard to help restore peace.
We have activated more than 500 soldiers to St. Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding communities. Our mission is to protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate. A key objective is to ensure fire departments are able to respond to calls.
— MN National Guard (@MNNationalGuard) May 29, 2020
According to a tweet from the Minnesota National Guard, 500 soldiers are being deployed to the Twin Cities area.
