MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A fourth night of protests in Madison ended peacefully, police said Wednesday, in contrast with three previous nights of violence.
A downpour briefly halted the protest against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but hundreds of chanting demonstrators regrouped and continued the protest. Madison police said the event ended shortly after midnight and no arrests were made. Two arrests were made earlier in the evening in the area for spray painting, police said.
It followed daytime demonstrations that shut down traffic on the six-lane John Nolen Drive, a main thoroughfare into downtown Madison.
It was a much quieter night than the previous three that saw police firing tear gas to disperse crowds that were breaking into stores and vandalizing downtown businesses.
In Milwaukee, officers used tear gas to disperse a crowd north of the downtown area. Police said the protesters were throwing rocks and glass at officers. A man in the crowd with a gun was taken into custody, officials said.
The confrontation followed an earlier peaceful protest by a group that marched throughout the streets of Milwaukee, beginning in Bay View’s Humboldt Park.
Four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have been fired and one, Derek Chauvin, who held his knee to Floyd’s neck while Floyd pleaded for air has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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