Peaceful protest ends, agitators create chaos; leave three San Antonio officers injured Saturday

Viral Facebook post shows veteran officer with wound to the head

SAN ANTONIO – A peaceful protest came to an end Saturday. Police say moments later bad actors then created chaos, with dozens of businesses impacted, windows busted and property defaced.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said bottles and bricks were thrown at officers.

A viral Facebook post showing a father and veteran San Antonio police officer with a wound to the head, which needed stitches, was shared more than 5,000 times.

Peaceful protest over George Floyd’s death erupts into violence in downtown San Antonio

At least three officers were injured amid the chaos Saturday night. McManus made it clear the organizers of the protest were not to blame.

"(The organizers) said they were going to start at 5, march to police headquarters, light candles, have a vigil and disperse at 6:30. They did just that. The remaining people were the agitators," McManus said.

The agitators were first believed to be from out of town, but police said they learned that out of the six arrests made Saturday night, many were from San Antonio, and one was from Uvalde.

Photos show evolution of San Antonio protest over police brutality, George Floyd’s killing

"Under certain circumstances, I would say I was surprised, but I'm not because of what happened in Minneapolis," McManus said.

The death of George Floyd ignited a call for change and a fight against racism. He was pronounced dead after a now-former Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes.

On Monday, Floyd's brother reacted to the destruction around the country.

"What are y'all doing? What are y'all doing? Y'all doing nothing because that's not going to bring my brother back at all," Terrence Floyd said.

Just hours after the violence, many in the community showed up in support of businesses to help clean up broken glass and board up windows.

PHOTOS: Striking images of George Floyd protests from across the country


About the Author:

Adrian Ortega is a news producer for the Nightbeat. He joined the station in 2016. Adrian helped expand the Nightbeat to a one-hour newscast on the weekend and is now producing for the Nightbeat 5 times per week. He's helped cover the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 winter storm, race and policing in SA and the Alazan-Apache Courts on the West Side.