Antifa protesters mimic George Floyd screaming 'I can't breathe'

Antifa rioters armed with explosives screamed 'I can't breathe' as they were arrested by police officers on Saturday night after torching cars, hurling fireworks and smashing windows with hammers in downtown Atlanta.

Clad in black hoodies, ski masks and surgical face masks in order to obscure their identity as they perpetrated acts of wanton vandalism, video footage saw at least three being pinned to the ground by police officers all the while screaming George Floyd's dying words.

However, unlike Floyd who died at the hands of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020, those who were being placed in cuffs on Saturday night were clearly able to breathe and they made their full-throated claims audible, in front of cameras. 

The six rioters who were arrested have not yet been identified and their charges have not been released. 

Rioters in Atlanta screamed 'I can't breathe' as police detained them - despite clearly being able to breathe

It took three officers to pin this rioter down during an early evening protest in Atlanta Saturday

Atlanta police later revealed that some of those who were arrested were known to have taken part in other protests in the past. Many other participants do not live in the Atlanta area or even the state of Georgia and had come specifically to take part in any forms of social unrest.

The Atlanta Police Department said: 'Atlanta Police officers have responded to a group damaging property at several locations along Peachtree [Street]. 

'Several arrests have been made and order has been restored to the downtown space. This is still an active and ongoing investigation, and we will not be able to provide specifics on arrests numbers or property damaged, at this time.'

Chief Schierbaum said: 'We can tell now, early in this investigation, this was not the focus tonight just to damage the windows of three buildings and set a police car on fire.

'The intent was to continue to do harm, and that did not happen.'

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp decried the violence and thanked responding officers.

'Violence and unlawful destruction of property are not acts of protest,' the Republican governor tweeted. 'They are crimes that will not be tolerated in Georgia and will be prosecuted fully.'

The rioters caused chaos outside the Police Foundation building in an ugly protest over 26-year-old  environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Teran who was shot dead by cops earlier this week. 

Those being detained screamed at the top of their lungs 'I can't breathe' - despite being able to do so

Police officers had plenty of plastic ties on hand in order to handcuff those breaking the law

The chaos broke out when the tone of what was a peaceful demo over Teran's death suddenly changed. Teran was killed after authorities said he had shot a state trooper.

Anger suddenly boiled over as masked activists threw rocks and lit fireworks in front of a skyscraper that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation. Some used hammers to  shatter large glass windows.

The rioters then lit a police car on fire and vandalized other buildings with anti-police graffiti as stunned tourists scattered.

'My message to those who seek to continue this kind of criminal behavior: We will find you, we will arrest you, and you will be held accountable,' Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Protesters and law enforcement officers engage in a struggle during demonstrations related to the death of Manuel Teran who was killed during a police raid  earlier this week

A law enforcement vehicle is seen lit on fire during demonstrations on Saturday night

Both Mayor Dickens and Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said while they fully support and protect the right to protest, property damage will result in prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

'It doesn't take a rocket scientist or an attorney to tell you that breaking windows or setting fires is not protesting, that is terrorism,' Schierbaum said in a press conference after the incident. 

'They will be charged accordingly, and they will find that this police department and the partnership is equally committed to stopping that activity.' 

A protestor drags a sign into the street during Saturday afternoon's demonstration

A protester is detained during the demo in Atlanta, Georgia

Protestors hold signs during demonstrations related to the death of Manuel Teran who was killed during a police raid inside Weelaunee People's Park, the planned site of a controversial 'Cop City' project, in Atlanta

'The GBI and all law enforcement agencies embrace a citizen's right to protest, but law enforcement can't stand by while serious criminal acts are being committed and jeopardize the safety of the citizens we are sworn to protect,' the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted

As police moved on the marchers, the violence quickly fizzled without anyone being injured. Six people have been arrested in connection with the anarchy. 

Video captured three of the arrest which saw Antifa protesters screaming 'I can't breathe', in echoes of the words said by George Floyd in May 2020 when he was asphyxiated by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin who kept his knee on his neck.  

'The GBI and all law enforcement agencies embrace a citizen's right to protest, but law enforcement can't stand by while serious criminal acts are being committed and jeopardize the safety of the citizens we are sworn to protect,' the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted.

Television station WSB-TV showed what it said was at least one police car on fire as well as broken windows and a damaged ATM in a downtown Atlanta area popular among tourists. Firetrucks were at the scene along with a heavy police presence. 

Saturday night's protest was held in the name of Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, 26, who was shot dead by police on Wednesday after authorities say he aimed a gun at officers

Demonstrators protest the death of an environmental activist, who went by Tortuguita, in Atlanta on Saturday

The protest had initially started off peacefully, although many wore face masks to hide their identities 

Before nightfall, the demonstration appeared relatively peaceful despite black hoodies and face mask-wearing participants 

Broken windows at a Wells Fargo branch are seen following a violent protest, late on Saturday

A smashed ATM is seen at a Wells Fargo branch following the protest

Broken windows at a Wells Fargo branch are seen following the protest on Saturday

A police statement said the groups damaged property at several locations along Peachtree Street, a corridor of hotels and restaurants, adding that several arrests were made and 'order was quickly restored to the Downtown space.' 

The violent protesters were a subsection of hundreds of demonstrators who had gathered and marched up Atlanta's famed Peachtree Street to mourn the death of the protester, a nonbinary person, Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, who went by the name Tortuguita and who used they/it pronouns.

Tortuguita was killed on Wednesday as authorities cleared a small group of protesters from the site of a planned Atlanta-area public safety training center that activists have dubbed 'Cop City.'

During the multi-agency operation on Wednesday, the GBI said approximately 25 campsites were located and removed from the site. Seven others were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism and criminal trespass, with additional charges pending 

Teran was shot dead after allegedly opening fire at a Georgia State Patrol trooper during a 'clearing operation' of the so-called autonomous zone at the site of a future $90 million center.

Since June 2021, Antifa and other far-left extremists from across the US have occupied the area to prevent the construction of what they've dubbed 'cop city.'

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) said a Georgia State Patrol trooper was shot and severely injured during the raid by a man camped in the area. Officers returned fire and killed Teran, who brandished a pistol.

A handgun and shell casings were located at the scene.

Additionally, mortar style fireworks, multiple edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks, and a blow torch were also recovered.

Sarah Wasilewski, 35, was arrested along with her boyfriend and fellow extremist Spencer Liberto, 29. and another native Pennsylvanian Matt Macar, 30. 

Geoffrey Parson, 20, of Baltimore, Timothy Murphy, 25, of Maine, Christopher Reynolds, 31, of Ohio and Terese Yue Shen, 31, of New York were all arrested on domestic terrorism charges. 

During the multi-agency operation on Wednesday GBI said approximately 25 campsites were located and removed from the site. Seven others were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism and criminal trespass, with additional charges pending (pictured)

Sarah Wasilewski, 35, was one of seven activists arrested at the future $90million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in a 'clearing operation' on Wednesday

Wasilewski appears to have travelled from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her boyfriend and fellow extremist Spencer Liberto, 29

Self-confessed 'brand ambassador' Wasilewski appears to have travelled from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her boyfriend and fellow extremist Spencer Liberto, 29, for the riot on Wednesday. 

Wasilewski was charged with domestic terrorism and aggravated assault of an officer, and follows extremist accounts on twitter which were calling for the murder of cops following the shooting.

The University of Pittsburgh graduate appears to have only been at the autonomous zone with Liberto for a number of weeks according to her social media.

It is unclear if Liberto, a long time left-wing radicalist, or Wasilewski have any links with Matt Macar who is also from Pennsylvania.

Wasilewski  previously worked as an Income Maintenance County Caseworker for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania before travelling to support the Antifa movement, leaving her $200,000 home behind.

Prior to that she was a Group Fitness Instructor for Les Mills US for two years until the pandemic. 

The GBI released a photo of the handgun that was in Manuel Esteban Paez Teran's possession when a Georgia State Patrol trooper was shot

A police can be seen blazing during Saturday's demonstration

A protester breaks a window with a hammer during a emo in downtown Atlanta

A protester throws a rock at a window during a burst of anarchy in Atlanta on Saturday 

A person films as a firework explodes behind them during demonstrations on Saturday

Protestors march during demonstrations related to the death of Manuel Teran who was killed

The protest began peacefully on Saturday before spiraling into chaos

Demonstrators took to Underground Atlanta where the demonstration turned violent

A smashed up Wells Fargo bank in downtown Atlanta following the rioting

ATMs are seen smashed to pieces following the chaos that passed through the city center

An Atlanta police officer stands guard after the rioters dispersed 

A windows to Truist bank in downtown Atlanta are seen smashed up

SWAT are seen in downtown Atlanta in a desperate effort to restore law and order 

A 'Cop City' protester is seen being taken into custody 

Pictured, Atlanta and State police officers in downtown Atlanta on Saturday night 

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said Teran/Tortuguita was killed after shooting and injuring a state trooper, but activists have questioned officials' version of events, calling it a 'murder' and demanding an independent investigation.

According to the GBI, the incident was not recorded on body cameras. The GBI said on Friday that it determined the trooper was shot in the abdomen by a bullet from a handgun that was in Teran/Tortuguita's possession.

Word of Saturday's protest had been widely circulated ahead of time on social media and among leftist activists, with some passing out flyers that read, 'Police killed a protester. Stand up. Fight back.'

A burned out police car sits on the street following the violent protest

A police officer blocks a downtown street following the protest which occurred in the tourist area

Protestors hold signs and march during demonstrations related to the death of Manuel Teran who was killed during a police raid inside Weelaunee People's Park

Protestors held signs and marched on Saturday afternoon

Police officers stand blocking a downtown street following the protest

Hundreds gathered at a downtown commercial complex, Underground Atlanta, before groups began moving down Peachtree Street. 

A police statement said the protesters damaged property at several locations along Peachtree Street, a corridor of hotels and restaurants, adding that several arrests were made and 'order was quickly restored to the Downtown space.'

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp decried the violence and thanked responding officers

Graffiti is seen at the edge of Weelaunee People's Park, the planned site of a controversial 'Cop City' project, days after protestor Manuel Teran died during a police raid, near Atlanta, Georgia

An abandoned protest campsite is seen inside Weelaunee People's Park

Activists had been camped out on an 85-acre planned facility known as 'Cop City' in recent days to protest the planned training center

Opponents of the training center have been protesting for over a year by building platforms in surrounding trees and camping out at the site.

They say the $90 million project, which would be built by the Atlanta Police Foundation, involves cutting down so many trees that it would be environmentally damaging. 

They also oppose investing so much money in a facility they say will be used to practice 'urban warfare.'

The GBI said about 25 campsites were located and removed Wednesday and mortar-style fireworks, edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks and a blow torch were recovered.

Seven people were arrested during the raid and charged with domestic terrorism and criminal trespass, with other charges pending, the GBI said. 

They range in age from 20 to 34 years, and none are Georgia residents.

Georgia State Patrol troopers swooped on the so-called autonomous zone at the site of a future $90million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center during a 'clearing operation'

Protestors claim police are 'lying' and have rejected the narrative one of their own shot at officers first - despite members being arrested on 'domestic terrorism' charges

Tributes were laid out for the 'tree defender' who has now been identified as 26-year-old Teran