Approved ~ MJM
At least 30 Philadelphia cops were injured by early Tuesday as violent mobs torched squad cars and charged lines of officers in a night of carnage sparked by the police shooting of a knife-wielding man.
Organized protests gathered at a park chanting “black lives matter” soon after news broke of the 4 p.m. death of 27-year-old Walter Wallace, who was shot by police after refusing to drop a knife.
Hundreds of people then swamped the streets, leading to at least 33 arrests by the early hours Tuesday on charges including rioting, assault on police officers, looting and possession of firearms, ABC News said.
The carnage was caught in a series of disturbing videos on social media, including a speeding black truck that ran through a line of officers, hitting a 56-year-old female sergeant. She remained hospitalized with a broken leg and other injuries, NBC Philadelphia said.
Other footage shows dozens of people chasing a large group of officers down the street, as well as clips of a line of officers behind shields being attacked with rocks, bottles and garbage cans.
Police told NBC that a fire department vehicle and five police ones were vandalized — with footage on social media showing at least one police car in flames in the middle of the street. Other footage showed a looter rummaging through the front of an abandoned police van.
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