The latest: 130 arrests made, more than 30 businesses looted, curfew in effect again tonight

The downtown area had a heavy presence of National Guard soldiers and police officers Thursday afternoon.

The National Guard in downtown Minneapolis during last summer's riots.(Rebecca Brannon/Alpha News)

At least 33 people were arrested Wednesday night in downtown Minneapolis as a second wave of looting and rioting hit the city.

“Troopers and Minnesota DNR conservation officers arrested 33 people last night in Minneapolis while working to restore order and clear businesses of looters. Troopers arrested 28 people, the Minnesota DNR arrested five,” the Minnesota State Patrol said on Twitter.

The Minneapolis Police Department hasn’t yet disclosed how many arrests it made during the unrest. According to Crime Watch Minneapolis, most of the arrests were for probable cause rioting.

 

A citywide curfew will go into effect Thursday night at 8 p.m. and will remain in effect through Friday morning at 6 a.m.

WCCO reports that at least 32 businesses were damaged, looted, or burned Wednesday, including:

  • Barrio, Nicollet Mall
  • Brit’s Pub, Nicollet Mall
  • Caribou Coffee, Nicollet Mall
  • Chipotle, Nicollet Mall
  • CVS, Nicollet Avenue
  • Dahl Medical Supply, Nicollet Mall
  • Devil’s Advocate, Nicollet Mall
  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 10th Street South
  • Foot Locker, 7th Street South
  • Franklin-Nicollet Liquor Store, Nicollet Avenue
  • Greenway Liquors, West Grant Street
  • Haskell’s Wine and Spirits, 9th Street South
  • Hen House, 8th Street South
  • Hubert White, Nicollet Mall
  • IDS Center, Nicollet Mall
  • Lotus Restaurant, West Grant Street
  • Lunds, 12th Street South
  • The News Room, Nicollet Mall
  • Nordstrom Rack, Nicollet Mall
  • Rainbow Road, West Grant Street
  • Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 2nd Avenue South
  • Sak’s Off 5th, Nicollet Mall
  • The Saloon, Hennepin Avenue
  • Speedway, West Grant Street
  • Sushi Train, Nicollet Mall
  • Target, Nicollet Mall, Uptown, and Dinkytown (windows at Target HQ on Nicollet also broken)
  • Union, Hennepin Avenue
  • Walgreens, Nicollet Mall, and 43rd Street/Chicago Avenue
  • Zelo, Nicollet Mall

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey hosted a press conference late Thursday morning to provide an update on the evolving situation.

Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Wednesday night activating the Minnesota National Guard. Soldiers from the 257th Military Police Company are now on the ground.

The downtown area had a heavy presence of National Guard soldiers and police officers Thursday afternoon. Many of the businesses hit in last night’s riots have now been boarded up.

UPDATE: Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson says a total of 132 people were arrested Wednesday night by multiple agencies on various offenses that included riot, burglary, damage to property and curfew violations.

“My staff and I fully support the right to protest peacefully and assemble lawfully. Our deputies and staff will continue to do all we can to ensure demonstrators have a safe environment to voice their concerns,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “But violence and looting will simply not be tolerated. We will not sit back and let criminal activity occur without consequences. We will make lawful arrests to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and our cities.”

UPDATE: The Minnesota National Guard says it plans to activate a total of 400 soldiers by the end of the day.

Gov. Walz and Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington held a press conference Thursday evening.

 

 

Anthony Gockowski

Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.