ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg Police said people tore water meter covers off and threw them at officers late Sunday, ending a day when most protesters were peaceful.
Fourteen people were arrested.
There had been gatherings of people throughout the day in front of the St. Petersburg Police Department at the corner of 1st Avenue N. and 13th Street N. Videos on social media showed people staging along Beach Drive NE, as well, in protest of law enforcement brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
Until about 10 p.m., there was a sense of calm at both scenes.
But about 200 protesters did not disperse at the department, and some threw the water meter covers, rocks and bottles at the building. Officers responded by deploying smoke bombs to get some of them away.
Several officers were hit and no one was hurt, spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez said.
People who did not leave were arrested, Fernandez added.
Across the bay into Tampa, where a curfew is in effect from 7:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice, police and protesters scuffled for some time at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park before finally leaving during the 9 p.m.
Some people were seen taken into police custody.
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