Nine News US correspondent Tim Arvier says he was tear gassed while reporting on the mass demonstrations in Minneapolis, one day after he and his crew were detained by police while covering the civil unrest.
Taking to Twitter, a wincing Arvier shared footage captured immediately after police attempted to clear protestors from the area.
“We’ve just been tear gassed,” he said.
“That is ugly. Ugly scenes.”
Police dispersing protestors away from semi with tear gas pic.twitter.com/sXL1FLNC9v
— Tim Arvier (@TimArvier9) June 1, 2020
In footage subsequently aired on Nine News, Arvier and a camera operator can be seen running through thick clouds of tear gas.
#BREAKING: A semitrailer has driven through a crowd in Minneapolis – miraculously no protestors were injured. @TimArvier9 #9News pic.twitter.com/tlPgt7Nwp8
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 1, 2020
The footage demonstrates the ongoing crowd control tactics used by authorities in the region.
In a subsequent tweet, Arvier said Minnesota Police had encircled a large number of protestors and were preparing for mass arrests.
The protests are expected to stretch into their fifth night, as communities across America demand justice over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck.
While former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin has formally been charged over Floyd’s death, the protests have morphed into a larger demonstration against racist policing practices nationwide.
Despite the ongoing threat of police retaliation, and the impending curfew which led to his short-lived arrest yesterday, Arvier said the protests look set to continue.
“We’re seeing these massive crowds now,” Arvier said in a subsequent broadcast.
“At this stage, they have no intention of going anywhere.”
