George Floyd protests: Violence, looting and clashes as protesters defy curfews for sixth night of demonstrations

Protesters have defied curfews across the US as a sixth night of protests prompted by the death of George Floyd turned violent, with unrest convulsing cities from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and flaring near the White House.

Clashes broke out across the country, with officers firing tear gas and smoke bombs at demonstrators, as looting and vandalism continued . Police vehicles were set ablaze and shops were broken in to in several cities.

National Guard troops had been deployed in 15 states and Washington D.C as authorities imposed curfews on dozens of cities - the most since 1968 in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr - but the restrictions appeared to be largely ignored.

The protests, initially peaceful, were triggered by the death of Mr Floyd , a black man who died after he was pinned at the neck by a white Minneapolis police officer.

In Minneapolis on Sunday, a tanker truck drove into a throng of demonstrators on a road, which had been closed to traffic. The driver was pulled from the cab and beaten by protesters before being taken into custody by Minneapolis police. It did not appear any protesters were hit by the truck.

In Santa Monica, stores were looted before police moved in to make arrests. Further south, in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach, a group of young men and women smashed windows of a shopping mall and looted stores before they were dispersed ahead of a 6 p.m. curfew.

In Washington DC, protesters set fires near the White House, the smoke mixing with billowing clouds of tear gas as police sought to clear them from the area.

Violence also broke out in Boston following peaceful protests as activists threw bottles at police officers and lit a cruiser on fire. In Miami, several hundred demonstrators marched through downtown Miami chanting: "No justice, no peace". In New York City, police arrested about 350 people and 30 officers suffered minor injuries during clashes.

Protests have also flared in Chicago, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Cleveland and Dallas, where rioters were seen on video beating a store owner who chased them with a large machete or sword. Police said on Sunday he was in stable condition.​

It also emerged that the protests in Washington prompted US President Donald Trump to be rushed to a White House bunker on Friday by Secret Service agents as hundreds of people protesting the death of George Floyd gathered outside the executive mansion, some of them throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades.

Mr Trump spent nearly an hour in the bunker, which was designed for use in emergencies like terrorist attacks, according to a Republican close to the White House.

The abrupt decision by the agents underscored the rattled mood inside the White House, where the chants from protesters in Lafayette Park could be heard all weekend and Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers struggled to contain the crowds.

Mr Floyd, 46, died on Monday after video showed a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Police said Mr Floyd was reported on the evening of May 25 for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store.

Officers attending to the incident later found him sitting with two other people in a car parked around the corner from the store.

One of the officers in attendance pulled out his gun and ordered Mr Floyd to show his hands as he approached the car

According to police, Mr Floyd then physically resisted officers as he was pulled from the car and handcuffed. Video of the incident does not show how the confrontation started.

Officer Derek Chauvin, 44,​ can be seen in footage of the incident with his knee on Mr Floyd's neck, while the latter can be heard saying "please, I can't breathe" and "don't kill me".

According to a preliminary autopsy by the county medical examiner, Mr Chauvin had his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Mr Floyd reportedly became non-responsive almost three minutes before Mr Chauvin removed his knee.

Mr Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder. Three other officers involved in Mr Floyd's arrest have not been charged.