Woman in wheelchair is sprayed with fire extinguisher for ‘trying to stop looters’ – but they say ‘she had a knife’
A WOMAN in a wheelchair was sprayed with a fire extinguisher for “trying to stop looters” during the Minneapolis riots – but protesters said “she had a knife.”
Footage that has emerged on social media shows people punching the woman, identified as Jennifer, but other clips show a woman in a morotized wheelchair holding a knife.
In one video, that was posted to Twitter, “Jennifer” said: “I was peacefully protesting. They attacked me 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 … They stole my keys. They stole everything they could off of me. I got Maced in the face, I got covered in fire extinguisher.”
However, in another video, a woman in a wheelchair appears to be holding a knife as someone shouts “Jennifer, is that enough?”
The footage was allegedly taken on the same night that protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis to demonstrate their anger at the death of George Floyd.
On Monday, George Floyd died after Officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on his neck during an arrest in Minneapolis as the black man shouted “I can’t breathe.”
The arrest was carried out after Floyd allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
Demonstrations started out peacefully before descending into chaos as cops used rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray.
The fury followed the arrest of Floyd, who died after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck.
Protesters had initially gathered at the intersection where Floyd died and at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct.
Hours later, the Lake and Hiawatha areas had descended into total chaos, with looting, violence and fires.
At least one under construction apartment block was reported to have been burned down – and a factory also caught fire.
Other unverified reports have claimed businesses such as Target, Wendy’s and Aldi were also torched.
As the sun rose over the city following a night of violence, the smoldering blazes could still be seen billowing smoke.
Minneapolis city authorities have requested assistance from the National Guard as the unrest looks set to continue, reports KSTP.
Mayor Jacob Frey has called for calm amid the violence as he pleaded “I understand the anger and pain”.
He said: “Please, please Minneapolis. We cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy. The activity around Lake and Hiawatha is now unsafe.
most read in us news
“Please, help us keep the peace. Stay safe and evacuate the area.
“We appreciate those that protested peacefully but now is the time to go home. Obviously, we have both instances of violence and fires.
“There are institutions, grocery stores and markets around Lake, that our community relies on – especially in times of a pandemic”