The president of the United States spent almost an hour in an underground shelter beneath the White House on Friday, according to an anonymous source
Donald Trump was rushed into an underground bunker beneath the White House, with many Secret Service personnel being injured during protests against the death of the unarmed black man George Floyd.
This comes after protesters all across the US have clashed with police at protests following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who pleaded with a white officer who was kneeling on his neck during an arrest, saying that he could not breathe.
The Secret Service has said that 60 officers from the branch, as well as special agents, had “sustained multiple injuries” due to projectiles such as “bricks, rocks, bottles, fireworks and other items”, being thrown at them on Friday night and Sunday morning.
In a statement posted on Twitter, it also said that some of the Secret Service staff were “physically assaulted as they were kicked, punched, and exposed to bodily fluids”.
“A total of 11 injured employees were transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries”, it said.
It also revealed that “some demonstrators repeatedly attempted to knock over security barriers” and vandalised six of its vehicles.
But it added: “No individuals crossed the White House Fence and no Secret Service protectees were ever in any danger.”
“The Secret Service respects the right to assemble, and we ask that individuals do so peacefully for the safety of all.”
Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
George Floyd was 46 when he was killed by a white former police officer who was filmed kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, choking him to death, during his arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota for allegedly using a fake $20 note in a shop.
The protests in Washington DC that took place outside the White House, the residence of the US president, sparked one of the highest alerts on the famous monument since the September 11th attacks.
These protests come at a time when many places within the USA still have lockdowns in place after the total worldwide number of coronavirus cases reportedly surpassed five million people infected, the majority of which are in the United States.
Riot police fired tear gas and threw stun grenades into a large crowd of protesters who were demonstrating across the street from the White House in Lafayette Park as people ran away and piled up road signs and plastic barriers that were lit on fire in a nearby street, some even pulled down an American flag that was flying from a building and throwing it into the bonfire.
According to a Republican who is close to the White House, Donald Trump was left rattled by the scenes taking place in front of the residence; this Republican was unauthorised to publicly discuss it these matters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
This account was confirmed by someone withing the Trump administration, who was also speaking anonymously.
Curfews have now been enforced in Minneapolis, as well as other places across the country, including Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as thousands of National Guard soldiers and airmen have begun to show up in areas to deal with the protests.
Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd, who was fired from his position, has now been charged with third-degree murder, while three other officers were also fired, but are yet to be charged.
