ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One person was arrested during a relatively peaceful protest outside the city's police department.
About 300 people gathered Saturday and remained outside 1st Avenue North for several hours, the St. Petersburg Police Department said. They protested in the wake of George Floyd's death. He died while in Minneapolis police custody earlier in the week.
As people began to leave and traffic started to come through the area again, police said one person jumped on the hood of a car and was arrested.
Another smaller group of people marched into the downtown area on Martin Luther King Jr. Street for several hours and did not cause any confrontations before making their way back to the police department, the agency said.
"We respect and support the right for people to protest peacefully, however we will draw the line when protestors break the law or threaten the safety of the residents of our city," Police Chief Anthony Holloway said in a news release.
More people were seen protesting near the city's waterfront across the street from The Vinoy.
The activity in St. Petersburg was largely subdued in comparison to the disturbances in Tampa, where people lit a Mobil gas station on fire and were seen looting several businesses in the area of Busch Boulevard and Fowler Avenue.
A Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputy also was hurt after someone threw an object into their head, the agency said.
Speaking to 10 Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister distinguished between the peaceful protesters and the other individuals who were throwing things and stealing Saturday night. He said the peaceful protesters went home before the issues began.
"We don't tolerate abuses of power, police brutality, or injustice. We also don't tolerate violent protests. Protest peaceably, protest with a purpose, and we will support you," St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said in the release.
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