Civil unrest, looting flares anew in Seattle area for third day

SEATTLE — Protesters in downtown Seattle rallied for the third time in as many days over the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis by four police officers. Several cities around the Puget Sound region have declared states of emergency and imposed overnight curfews as Gov. Jay Inslee authorized a statewide mobilization of the National Guard to help with the security efforts.

The activation will allow unarmed troops to be deployed in response to requests from local governments. The governor already authorized at least 600 troops earlier this weekend to help in Seattle and Bellevue.

While a vast majority of the protests were peaceful and there was considerably less damage in Seattle than the fiery riots on Saturday night, organized groups outside the protests used the opportunity to conduct widespread looting in several suburban shopping centers across the region with Bellevue's Downtown core hit particularly hard.

Seattle police said Monday that 57 people were arrested on Saturday for a variety of reasons, including resisting arrest, assault, obstruction, burglary and failure to disperse. Police have not yet said how many people were arrested Friday or Sunday.

MORE | Photos from Saturday night's riots in Seattle

The Sunday protests began in Seattle around 3:45 p.m with a group of at least 200 or 300 people that began marching through downtown streets and blocking traffic. They were joined shortly afterward by another group, and soon about 1,000 people are marching through Seattle. Protesters also were gathering and blocking the streets of Capitol Hill.

Once again, I-5 was shut down through the city in an effort to keep cars and people off the freeway together after hundreds spilled onto the roads Saturday night, but protestors stayed off the freeway Sunday. Instead, they spent several hours in Seattle, eventually converging at Westlake Center for a rally in the late evening into the night, but remained peaceful through the night.

But attention soon turned to Bellevue where peaceful protests there became marred by widespread looting by what police believe were outside organized theft rings.

Meeghan Black, a spokeswoman for Bellevue police, said the agency learned Saturday night that known gang members were planning on coming to Bellevue to cause chaos.

Police Chief Steve Mylett said a group that came into the city was "hell bent on causing destruction" and indeed, Bellevue Square suffered heavy damage after looters broke into the shuttered mall.

"It's destroyed inside," he said. "It breaks my heart, because I wish we could have stopped it. And we're going to figure out how to stop it next time."

Other nearby businesses were hit as well as video from Air 4 and KOMO News crews on the ground showed dozens of people running off with bag- and armfuls of merchandise.

At least two security guards were hurt during a run-in with looters although it appears that they were not seriously hurt, police said.

Black said multiple arrests have been made but it was not clear how many people were in custody.

"These are criminals bent on coming into the city and causing destruction," Black said. "We will not tolerate the criminal activity of looting the stores in Bellevue."

Mylett said they weren't sure where the looters were coming from, but they did make some arrests which will help determine the location.

"We were making traffic stops even before they arrived and as they were coming in," Mylett said. "And nobody's from Bellevue. To my knowledge, maybe a few from Seattle, but they're coming in from way out of the area. And how dare they."

During an impassioned meeting with protesters, Mylett told the crowd that he and his department works to ensure the safety of all of its citizens and he criticized the police behavior in Minnesota that has touched off the national unrest.

As night fell, reports of looting spread to the south, with thieves smashing into stores in the Southcenter Mall area of Tukwila, causing damage and thefts at the Target, REI, Bowlero and Firestone. According to police, a group arrived and after amassing, immediately rushed the mall. Nine people were eventually arrested by Tukwila officers.

A short time later, police in Renton said a Walmart was being looted and were asking for assistance from Tukwila police. Burglary reports also came in from the area near Ikea, police said.

Police in both Seattle and Bellevue eventually gave protestors a 2-minute warning to disperse as the clock neared 11 p.m. with crowds mostly going home at that time, save for a few dozen stragglers. In Seattle, organizers for the peaceful protestors said they hope they gained some trust with Seattle Police and vowed to return again to the city Monday afternoon.

By dawn Monday, things were quiet in the city though anyone coming into the Downtown core will find some streets with barricades.

REAL TIME UPDATES FROM EARLIER COVERAGE DURING THE PROTESTS:

11:11 p.m.: Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered a statewide activation of the Washington National Guard tonight in response to destructive protests and looting in Washington state.The activation will allow unarmed troops to be deployed in response to requests from local governments. The governor already authorized at least 600 troops earlier this weekend to help in Seattle and Bellevue.

10:17 p.m.: King County has issued a civil emergency and activated its Emergency Operations Center as a result of violence and widespread looting in Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, and Tukwila. The declaration allows the county to have greater flexibility with contracting in order to make emergency repairs, according to a written statement by the county.

9:27 p.m.: Police in Renton say a Walmart is being looted and they are asking for assistance from Tukwilla police.

9:20 p.m.: Police are trying to disperse crowd in Bellevue and several flash bang explosions are sounding. More on the Bellevue protest here.

8:31 p.m.: City of Tukwila has announced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. because of looting, Police said suspects in the group have thrown rocks and projectiles at officers, and have damaged storefronts of Bowlero, REI, Target and Firestone. According to police, a group arrived and after amassing immediately rushed the mall.

8:11 p.m.: A large group of protesters are marching from Capitol Hill to Westlake Park. KOMO News reporter Matt Markovich spoke to a police sergeant, who said the protesters want to be able to retrieve their cars.

7:12 p.m.: The Seattle Police Foundation says $20,000 of EMT supplies and medical kits in the Seattle Police Department's stockpile were burned or stolen. The kits and supplies are critical for EMT-trained Seattle police officers’ ability to treat the injured when arriving on scene.

6:52 p.m.: Gov. Jay Inslee has activated up to 200 more members of the Washington National Guard in response to a request from King County to help Bellevue respond to looting and to protect against property damage and manage crowds and traffic throughout the county. Guard personnel will be unarmed and work under the direction of local leadership.

Protesters also were smashing windows, looting and throwing projectiles at police in downtown Bellevue. The Bellevue mayor has now declared a state of emergency and enacted a 5 p.m. curfew. Interstate 405 is shut down through the city.

In Seattle, a group of at least 200 or 300 people began marching through downtown streets and blocking traffic at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday. They were joined shortly afterward by another group, and now about 1,000 people are marching through Seattle.

Protesters also were gathering and blocking the streets of Capitol Hill.

The protests continued after a 5 p.m. curfew took effect. The curfew remains in effect through 5 a.m. Monday.

The Washington State Patrol is shutting down Interstate 5 through downtown Seattle as a safety measure in response to the protest. They also are deploying troopers to assist police in Bellevue.

The group in Seattle is yelling and shouting at police officers who are surrounding them.

At least one protester has been detained so far. Police also fired tear gas into the crowd at one point.

A separate group also is blocking streets in downtown Bellevue, police said. It started as a peaceful protest of about 25 people at NE 8th Avenue and Bellevue Way but quickly swelled to several hundred demonstrators who broke up into smaller groups and began smashing windows and looting stores, including Bellevue Square.

Officers from other cities and state troopers are responding to the scene to assist the Bellevue police.

Meegan Black of the Bellevue police also said two security guards were assaulted with a tire iron to the head.

People are being warned to avoid downtown Seattle and downtown Bellevue if possible.