Harrisburg is setting a curfew Saturday night after hours of protests related to the death of a black man in police custody in Minnesota.
Mayor Eric Papenfuse said the curfew goes into effect at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Police and protesters have been battling in the city since early afternoon, when a peaceful noontime rally on the Capitol steps spread into a violent clash on Front Street and beyond.
Papenfuse said that two police officers have been hospitalized.
At 8:45 p.m., state and city police were still face to face with protesters at Front and Walnut streets, near police headquarters.
As state troopers put on gas masks, Harrisburg police Commissioner Thomas Carter is asking people to disperse.
The protests in Harrisburg, and across the state and country, are a reaction to the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. The incident was captured on video.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, and three others were fired. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf said the state has offered help to municipalities. He also urged calm and peace.
PennLive’s Becky Metrick contributed to this report.
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