Minneapolis riots: Moment woman in wheelchair is doused with a fire extinguisher

Confronting footage has emerged of a woman in a wheelchair being sprayed with a fire extinguisher amid wild protests in the US.

Confronting footage has emerged of rioters attacking woman in a wheelchair after protests erupted in Minneapolis over the death of an African American man who died after being pinned down by police officer.

The man, George Floyd, begged to be let go during the incident, telling the officer, “I can’t breathe”, before losing consciousness. Terrified bystanders watched on, telling the officer he was bleeding from the nose and struggling.

Mr Floyd, 46, was then taken to the Hennepin County Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead shortly after.

His death sparked protests across the city which have since turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with police, stores looted and a man fatally shot.

On Wednesday night multiple videos were shared to Twitter of a woman in a motorised wheelchair attempting to block looters from leaving a Target store.

In the video people can be heard claiming the woman, who is reportedly named Jennifer, had a knife and was “stabbing people”. However, it is unclear if what she was holding was a weapon.

The dramatic moment the woman is sprayed. Picture: Storyful

The woman is seen in the footage holding an object. Picture: Storyful.

At one point she is sprayed with a fire extinguisher as people throw objects at her.

In another video a woman is seen running up to Jennifer and punching her in the head multiple times.

Another video shows Jennifer appearing to try and hold onto a looter’s shopping cart before being forcefully pulled away.

After the incident Jennifer claimed she was “peacefully protesting” the looters when she was attacked.

At the Target in Minneapolis that was being looted tonight during the BLM riot, a woman in a wheelchair was attacked. pic.twitter.com/JxsXTB30xI

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 28, 2020

“They attacked from the front and back. They punched me in the mouth, my head. I got punched in the head several times. I got grabbed from behind,” she said in a video.

“They stole my keys. They stole everything they could off of me. I got mace in the face and covered with fire extinguisher stuff. I’ve already seen the EMT’s and they told me to go home.”

Another video circulating online claims to show Jennifer standing up out of her wheelchair after the incident.

OFFICERS INVOLVED IN DEATH FIRED

The nine minute incident where Mr Floyd was pinned down was filmed by an onlooker and shared on Facebook, and is now the subject of an FBI investigation.

The four officers involved were identified on Wednesday as Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng. They have all been sacked by Police Chief Medaria Arradondo.

The city’s Mayor Jacob Frey has now moved to have officer Chauvin arrested over the pinning move that killed the father-of-two.

Derek Chauvin pinned George Floyd by his neck for nine minutes.

George Floyd’s girlfriend, Shawanda Hill joins protesters on Wednesday. Picture: Kerem Yucel/AFP

Officers launch tear gas canisters at protesters. Picture: Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP

A protester is doused with milk after exposure to tear gas outside. Picture: Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP

Another protester recovering from being tear gassed. Picture: Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP

Mayor Frey called on the county’s prosecutor to arrest Chauvin, saying the kneeling move is not approved by the state licensing body, according to the Washington Post.

A number of high profile celebrities in the US commented on the case, including Kourtney Kardashian, and Madonna, who called it, “the most sickening, heartbreaking thing I’ve seen in a long time”.

Large crowds gathered at the scene of the incident at 3700 block of Chicago Ave in Minneapolis, carrying placards calling for justice.

Mr Floyd had been in police custody over a suspected “forgery in progress” according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

The hundreds of protesters marched from the site of the arrest to the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building, where officers in riot gear confronted the protesters.

Videos show the officers clashing with the protesters, as they were pelted with smoke bombs and tear gas, according to CBS.

Protesters poured bottles of milk over one another’s eyes to salve the noxious gas.

Some protesters pelted bricks and rocks at police, while other parts of the demonstration were more peaceful, and some attended with younger children.

No reports of arrests have surfaced.

Footage emerged on social media on Thursday of protests spilling into a Target store in Minneapolis. Rioters overturned shopping carts and were seen moving around the store after a plywood barrier had been broken away, according to reports.

The inside of the Target is smoky; people are trying to break into the cash registers. Alarm is blaring pic.twitter.com/qfd97sfNTr

— Ricardo Lopez (@rljourno) May 28, 2020

Mr Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd said when officers called her to tell her about the incident, she thought she was dreaming.

“Everything went blank,” she told ABC US on Wednesday. “I had a very hard time taking that, taking that in.”