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The Latest: Los Angeles police have arrested more than 2,700

| June 2, 2020 2:11 PM

The Latest on the May 25 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck:

TOP OF THE HOUR:

— Los Angeles police have arrested more than 2,700 during protests.

— Minnesota files civil rights complaint against Minneapolis police.

— President Trump ordered show of force on Monday night.

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LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday more than 2,700 people have been arrested since protests and violence began in the nation’s second-largest city.

The chief told the city Police Commission that about 2,500 of those arrests were for failure to disperse or curfew violations. The remainder were for crimes including burglary, looting, assaults on police officers and other violence.

The chief gave the figures during a report to the Police Department’s civilian oversight board. Several new demonstrations in Los Angeles on Tuesday over the death of George Floyd have remained peaceful.

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PARIS — Riot officers have fired tear gas as scattered protesters threw projectiles and set fires during an unauthorized demonstration against police violence and racial injustice.

Several thousand people had previously rallied peacefully for two hours Tuesday around the main Paris courthouse in homage to George Floyd and to Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody.

Police had banned the protest because of coronavirus restrictions that forbid any gathering of more than 10 people.

As the demonstration wound down, police fired tear gas and protesters could be seen throwing projectiles. Two small fires broke out.

Tensions also erupted at a related protest Tuesday in the southern city of Marseille.

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CHICAGO -- Authorities in a Chicago suburb where two people were fatally shot in unrest following George Floyd’s death are issuing fresh safety precautions Tuesday.

Cicero officials cautioned residents to “stay home and stay off the streets” a day after violence and destruction erupted in the town of about 84,000 west of Chicago. Police say most of Monday’s chaos stemmed from residents trying to defend businesses. Roughly 60 people were arrested, mostly for burglary and weapons violations.

Two men in their 20s were fatally shot around 6 p.m. in separate incidents related to the violent clashes.

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TRENTON, N.J. — Citing George Floyd’s death, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Tuesday the state will update its guidelines governing the use of force by police for the first time in two decades and will move to require a statewide licensing program for all officers.

At least 43 other states require some licensing requirement for officers, Grewal said, adding he wants to bring law enforcement in line with other professions that require licensing.

The announcements also include a pilot program in a handful of cities across the state to conduct training programs aimed at promoting safe interactions between police and communities and the implementation of a statewide database to document when police use force, Grewal said.

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MINNEAPOLIS — The state of Minnesota has filed a civil rights charge against the Minneapolis Police Department in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

The state says it will investigate the department’s policies and practices over the last 10 years to determine whether it has engaged in “systemic” discrimination against people of color. The complaint comes from the state Department of Human Rights, which enforces the state’s human rights act. It targets a police department that has faced decades of allegations of brutality and other discrimination against African-Americans and other minorities including within the department itself.

Critics say the department has a culture that resists change and the department has come under fresh criticism after Floyd died after a white officer knelt on his neck and ignored his cries of “I can’t breathe” until Floyd eventually stopped moving.

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WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr ordered law enforcement officials to clear Lafayette Park and push back the perimeter around the White House when he arrived there Monday evening, leading to police using tear gas to disperse protesters.

A person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press that Barr expected the perimeter to have been extended much earlier Monday. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

The person said officials had met that morning and decided the perimeter had to be moved by at least one full block after multiple fires were set in the park the night before. They said that was expected to happen by Monday afternoon.

The person said Barr was surprised it hadn’t been done when he arrived in the early evening and directed action to be taken. They said he assumed police would use “typical crowd control measures” against protesters who resisted commands to clear the area.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors are delaying the case against a man who drove his semitrailer into a crowd of protesters on a closed Minneapolis freeway.

The 35-year-old man drove his tanker truck into the midst of thousands of people who had gathered on Interstate 35W near downtown Minneapolis on Sunday. Authorities said it appeared no one was hurt and the man was arrested.

Gov. Tim Walz said the man became confused and somehow got on the freeway before traffic officials closed it.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Tuesday that the case against the man has been deferred pending further investigation and he’ll be released from jail. Freeman said investigators are working to gather additional information to help in making a charging decision.

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ordered military aircraft to fly above the nation’s capital Monday night as a “show of force” against demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd, according to two Department of Defense officials.

Show-of-force missions are designed to intimidate and, in combat zones, warn opposing forces of potential military action if provoked. The officials, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations publicly, did not say how many or what type of aircraft had been mobilized.

Videos and photographs posted on social media showed helicopters flying low over buildings and hovering just above groups who were on the street despite a district-wide curfew.

On Tuesday, roughly 700 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division had arrived at two military bases near Washington. Another 1,400 soldiers are ready to be mobilized within an hour, the two Pentagon officials said. The soldiers are armed and have riot gear as well as bayonets.

The officials said the mission has been named “Operation Themis.” In Greek mythology, Themis was a titaness of divine law and order, whose symbols are the scales of justice.

-- Reporting by James LaPorta

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RICHMOND, Va. — An angry crowd shouted down Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Tuesday after police lobbed tear gas at a group of peaceful demonstrators during a protest over the death of George Floyd.

Several hundred people gathered outside City Hall chanted “Fire Them!” and repeatedly drowned out Stoney as he apologized and promised that the officers involved will face disciplinary action.

Video posted to social media of the Monday night incident shows a line of police launching tear gas toward a group of protesters who appeared to be yards away from the officers and peacefully gathered on the grass near a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Police Chief William Smith also apologized and took a knee briefly after being invited to do so by a woman in the crowd.

The tear gas was used on a group of protesters during a fourth night of protests over the killing of Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for air.

The Richmond Police Department initially defended its use of tear gas but later retreated from that position after Smith reviewed video of the incident.

Stoney also apologized on Twitter and invited protesters to the meeting outside City Hall on Tuesday.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona National Guard is assessing a request from President Donald Trump to provide troops to other states, Guard spokesman Maj. Aaron Thacker said Tuesday.

The Guard already has about 900 military police and other troops on duty after Gov. Doug Ducey ordered them to help back up state and local law enforcement dealing with weekend protests that at times turned violent.

Thacker said the Guard isn’t yet ready to send troops to other states.

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CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio hopes the NFL and its owners will use their platform to promote “love” and racial equality in the wake of protests following the death of George Floyd.

“People listen, kids listen,” Bitonio said Tuesday. “You start the younger generation and you teach them to love each other and to have that compassion and empathy for other people. That’s where it grows in this country, and so I hope players and ownership and the NFL as a whole uses the platform to really promote that love.”

Bitonio, who is white, said he has always appreciated the struggles some of his black teammates have endured in “really tough situations with law enforcement, or just in general.

A six-year veteran, Bitonio said it’s more vital than ever to show empathy because “people are hurting." He said new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski spoke with his team on Monday about the situation.

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WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration floated the idea of taking over the police force in the nation’s capital after days of violent demonstrations that led to fires and vandalism.

Officials with the District of Columbia mayor’s office said Tuesday that the White House raised the possibility of taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department. The officials said they told the White House they strongly objected and would challenge any attempt to do so in court.

The revelation comes a day after President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr told governors they needed to get tougher with violent protesters and to deploy the National Guard.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo activated the National Guard Tuesday and is considering a curfew in response to a violent night in Providence that officials say was not a protest over the death of George Floyd but an organized effort to cause destruction.

Police received intelligence several hours prior to the violence late Monday and into Tuesday that people were coming from out of state armed with crowbars, flares and gasoline, State Police Col. James Manni said. A crowd of hundreds of people he described as a “mob” smashed storefront windows, stole merchandise, broke into a closed mall and torched a police cruiser.

More than 60 people were arrested and as many as 10 police officers were injured when they were hit by rocks or bricks, authorities said. organized attack on our community.”

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ST. LOUIS — A 77-year-old retired St. Louis police captain who served 38 years on the force was shot and killed by looters at a pawn shop early Tuesday, police said.

David Dorn was found dead on the sidewalk in front of the shop, which had been ransacked. Police have not released details of what led to the shooting and no one has been arrested.

The shooting and ransacking apparently was posted on Facebook Live before being taken down. It came on a violent night in the city, which saw four officers shot and businesses burned and ransacked, with people pelting officers with rocks hours after a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had ended.

Dorn was a friend of the pawn shop’s owner and frequently checked on the business when alarms went off, his wife told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Dorn retired in October 2007 from the St. Louis police force and became police chief in a small town north of the city.

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MINNEAPOLIS — A family attorney says a medical examiner’s findings that George Floyd had drugs in his system is a “red herring” meant to distract attention away from a Minneapolis police officer’s responsibility for his death.

During a news conference Tuesday, attorney Ben Crump also disputed the findings released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner that the cause of death was cardiac arrest, which happened as police restrained Floyd and compressed his neck in a widely seen video that has sparked worldwide protests. The medical examiner also listed fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use, but not as the cause of death.

An autopsy commissioned by the family, which Crump released Monday, concluded that Floyd died of a lack of oxygen caused by the officers’ knees on his neck and back.

Crump called drug allegations “an attempt to assassinate his character” and said any drugs in his system were irrelevant to his cause of death.

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DALLAS -- The family of George Floyd is expected to join a march in Houston on Tuesday as protests continue nationwide in response to his death and other police killings of black people.

The march will begin shortly after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to lay out in Dallas how the state plans to curb unrest and destruction that has followed largely peaceful daytime demonstrations.

Dallas has imposed a curfew, and Monday night police conducted mass arrests on a downtown bridge where protesters marched.

Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall said most were released after being charged with obstructing a roadway, which came after demonstrators got down on one knee. She emphasized Tuesday that most protests were peaceful but warned “if you break the law, we will arrest you.”

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U.S. Secret Service police arrest a man for what one eye witness said an officer told him was for having an imitation gun along Constitution Avenue near the White House in the morning as protests continue over the death of George Floyd in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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Police investigate the scene of a shooting at Lee's Pawn & Jewelry in St. Louis, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. A 77-year-old retired St. Louis police officer who served 38 years on the force was shot and killed by looters at the pawn shop early Tuesday, police said. David Dorn was found dead on the sidewalk in front of Lee's Pawn & Jewelry, which had been ransacked after peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd turned violent overnight. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

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A young woman with the words "I can't breathe" on her face covering joins thousands at a Black Lives Matter event in Eugene, Ore., Sunday May 31, 2020, over the deaths of George Floyd and others (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP)

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., reading from the Bible, reacts to President Donald Trump during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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A member of the St. Louis Fire Department removes a hose outside a vandalized and burned convenience store Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in St. Louis. On Monday night people were seen removing items from the store before the building went up in flames and after a large peaceful protest against the death of George Floyd who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25 had ended. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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People observe social distancing as they take part in a demonstration in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, to protest against the recent killing of George Floyd, police violence and institutionalized racism. Floyd, a black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis, U.S.A., after being restrained by police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

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The White House is visible as uniformed Secret Service agents stand at a checkpoint on Constitution Avenue in the morning hours in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, as protests continue over the death of George Floyd. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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Workers carry large wood boards past the historical St. John's Episcopal Church across Lafayette Park from the White House in the morning hours in Washington, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, as protests continue over the death of George Floyd. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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A police officer embraces a protester who helped disperse a crowd of people during a demonstration Monday, June 1, 2020, in Atlanta over the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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A man takes part in a protest rally in Richmond, Va., Monday, June 1, 2020, against the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after being restrained by Minneapolis police. (James H. Wallace/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

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Las Vegas Police block off Las Vegas Boulevard South after a shooting in front of a federal courthouse during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Las Vegas Monday, June 1, 2020. (Christopher DeVargas/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

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Fireworks go off in front of police, who with protesters in front of police headquarters in St. Louis on Monday, June 1, 2020. The small group of protesters was originally part of a much larger group demonstrating earlier in the afternoon against the death of George Floyd. (Colter Peterson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

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Johnnie Williams chants with the crowd as they march off the Gateway Arch grounds during an event organized by ExpectUS, in Downtown St. Louis on Monday, June 1, 2020. Protesters were demonstrating against the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after being detained by Minnesota police. (Colter Peterson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

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The glass door of a souvenir shop is shattered as people broke into it hours after a solidarity rally calling for justice over the death of George Floyd Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

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Police and rescue workers swarm the intersection outside Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse, where shots were fired late Monday, June 1, 2020, in downtown Las Vegas. Police were present for a protest over the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who died in police custody on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)