Minneapolis Review

Local business owners in Minneapolis witnessed riots and destruction to their businesses on Wednesday in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while being arrested by city police officers on Monday.

A 10-minute video broadcast live on Facebook at the time of the incident showed an officer pressing his knee into the back of Floyd's neck as he lay on the ground and is heard saying "Please, I can't breathe."

While some business owners said they expected demonstrations by those angry over Floyd’s death, they told Kare 11 they weren’t prepared for the destruction they witnessed.

“They’re doing some stuff that isn’t necessary. You know? I run a business here. They try to steal stuff from me, I’m going to shoot them,” one local body shop owner told Kare 11.

One body shop owner and his family protected their property by carrying shotguns and BB guns.

The Sonora Grille owner closed his kitchen Wednesday night and then began to protect his restaurant.

“I’ve been out here all night. We’ve already been struggling for a couple of months with everything happening with the virus,” the owner told Kare 11. “This is, uh, this is crazy right now. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

A body shop down the block from the Sonora Grille suffered major damage and cars were stolen.

“They stole four cars out of the shop. One of my neighbors told me they used one of the cars to ram it into TCF Bank down the street,” the Sonora Grille owner told Kare 11. “It’s crazy.”

Aside from businesses, homeowners also were impacted by the destruction and the heat of fires shattered some windows.

One homeowner said they evacuated once they noticed the windows were cracking and the siding was melting.

“Once we noticed the windows cracking we evacuated. We knew at that point the house could catch on fire at any moment. Especially with the siding melting as it was. It was just intoxicating and the fumes from it. It really got to your head,” a homeowner told Kare 11.

A spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey confirmed to Kare 11 that the National Guard has been called upon to help quell the riots and bring order.

The four officers involved in the incident have been fired by the city and prosecutors are considering criminal charges.