Police move in swiftly to make arrests on 6th night of Daunte Wright protests

After hours of minimal interaction between police surrounding Brooklyn Center Police Department and protesters angered by the killing of Daunte Wright, law enforcement moved in swiftly and suddenly to make arrests.

Initially following a similar strategy to Thursday night that saw police stand back from the fencing around the precinct as protesters demonstrated peacefully.

That changed after what Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said were attacks by some protesters who threw bottles and rocks at officers, and allegedly attempted to cut through the outer fence.

Flash bangs were fired into the crowd from behind the fencing by police, and just before 10 p.m., police declared the protest an unlawful assembly, with three dispersal orders then issued.

What followed shortly after was a sudden police action that saw officers swarm from all sides, with New York Times reported Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs saying they "kettled" protesters before starting to make mass arrests.

There were around 100 arrests made in total, the leaders of Operation Safety Net said.

Pepper spray was used by officers on protesters, with MPR News reporting some protesters tried to leave through yards and backyard fences to flee the area.

Those protesters detained were placed on the ground so they could be arrested, with numerous names included on the Hennepin County Jail roster for probable cause riot.

Harrington was critical of the small number of protesters who sought to make trouble, saying: "This is a night that should have been about Daunte Wright."

The Star Tribune reports that after a peaceful start to the evening, the mood darkened and one protester called on Black men to storm the fence, which he said "represents tyranny," with others in the crowd denouncing his comments.

The newspaper notes that the first flash bang was used by police as protesters rattled the fencing.