Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard late on Monday (April 27) as firefighters battled blazes set by looters.
Baltimore erupted in violence as hundreds of rioters looted stores, burned buildings and injured at least 15 police officers following the funeral of a 25-year-old black man who died after he was injured in police custody.
The riots broke out just a few blocks from the funeral of Freddie Gray and then spread through much of West Baltimore in the most violent U.S. demonstrations since arson and shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, last year.
“This evening, as a result of the serious, violence and looting which has led to the destruction of property and put innocent Marylanders at significant risk, I have declared a state of emergency at the request of Baltimore City. This order deploys the Maryland National Guard in order to help restore order and to end the unrest that we witnessed today and tonight. I have not made this decision lightly. TheNational Guard represents a last resort in order to restore order,” Hogan said.
Police made at least 27 arrests and Baltimore schools said they would be closed on Tuesday (April 28).
Gray’s death on April 19 reignited a public outcry over police treatment of African Americans that flared last year after the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, New York City and elsewhere.
“Everybody believes we need to get to the answers and resolve this situation, the concern everybody has about what exactly happened in the Freddie Gray incident. That’s one whole situation. This is an entirely different situation,” Hogan said. “This is lawless gangs of thugs roaming the streets, causing damage to property and injuring innocent people, and we are not going to tolerate that.”
Police in Baltimore on Monday used pepper spray on rioters who had sacked check-cashing and liquor stores. Looting spread to a nearby shopping mall and rioters smashed car windows outside a major hotel.
Rioters twice slashed a fire hose while firefighters fought a blaze in the afternoon at a CVS pharmacy that had been looted before it was set on fire.
Reuters/NBC