A protest against police brutality and to bring attention to the George Floyd death quickly escalated Thursday night in Fontana. The protest started out peaceful. Protesters stood in front of the Fontana city hall, chanting and holding up signs to bring attention to the George Floyd incident in which 4 Minneapolis police officers were involved in Floyd’s arrest. Video shows an officer putting a knee on his neck leading to his eventual in custody death.
Around 8pm the Fontana protesters began blocking streets on Sierra Avenue and running in and out of traffic. At one point a vehicle tried to run the crowd down. That person was later stopped by police. The protesters then took their anger to the Fontana Police station, throwing rocks and bottles at parked units.
Things escalated when dozens of officers in riot gear moved out of the station and formed a skirmish line. The protesters continued throwing objects at the officers. They were told several times to disperse. The heated protest continued, and officers began to move the protesters out toward Sierra Ave. Police fired tear gas at the protesters and continued to move them out. A huge mutual aid response was called from surrounding agencies to assist with the crowd. Officers poured in from several jurisdictions.
Eventually the crowd thinned out and everything went back to normal. When it was over, 9 people were arrested, a bus bench and city hall windows were damaged.
