Huge Blazes Rip Through Baltimore as Freddie Gray Rioters Torch Buildings Including a Nursing Home, Loot Stores and Attack Police, Injuring Fifteen Officers, as Violence Rages into the Night
State of emergency declared in Baltimore just hours after funeral for Freddie Gray who died in police custody
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake branded the rioters 'thugs' and issued a 10pm-5am curfew for all adults
President has been briefed on the situation, more than 1,000 police and Maryland National Guard are on standby
Three rival gangs have announced an unprecedented alliance to 'take out' Baltimore officers
15 police officers injured, two in serious condition in hospital. 27 people have been arrested
Looters are raiding gun stores and check cashing stores. A CVS store is on fire, rioters slashed fire fighters' hoses
Earlier Gray's distraught mother, Gloria Darden draped herself over her sons body during the open casket viewing
Family attorney, Bill Murphy called for the officers who arrested Gray to come clean to the public
Gray, 25, died after being detained by police on April 12. He suffered a spinal injury in their care and died on April 19
Daily Mail UK, 27 April 2015
A state of emergency has been declared in Baltimore as the city transforms into 'an absolute war zone' following the funeral of Freddie Gray. More than 1,000 Maryland police officers, the Maryland National Guard, and 5,000 officers from neighboring states are arriving in the city and the president has been briefed on the situation as violence continues to escalate.
But even as the governor of Maryland pledged the highest level of support available, police continued to be pelted with rocks well into the night.Fifteen police officers have been injured, many with broken bones, and at least one appeared ‘unresponsive’. Two of the 15 are in hospital in a serious condition.
As the sun set, flames erupted from a new $16 million nursing home built by a baptist church on the more affluent east side of Baltimore, which has now been burned to rubble. it was due to open in November this year after eight years of construction.
Just two blocks away, a housing development was also ablaze. Officials warned the two fires could be a distraction to pull law enforcement away from other locations.
Rioters are looting gun stores, ripping off the doors and passing weapons to people on the streets. Others have stormed check cashing stores, liquor stores and supermarkets. Buildings, including a CVS pharmacy, are on fire. Rioters have slashed fire fighters' hoses as they try to battle the flames.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake branded the rioters 'senseless thugs' in a press conference as she announced a week-long 10pm-5am curfew for all citizens starting tomorrow night.
By nightfall, groups appeared to be moving toward more affluent areas near Camden Yards stadium, prompting tonight's White Sox v Orioles game to be suspended. College students have been told to stay in their doors and be alert to possible attacks.Freddie Gray died of a severe spinal injury in police custody on April 12.
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State of emergency: Baltimore is in flames and the Maryland National Guard is on standby as riots escalate after Freddie Gray's funeral
Baltimore in flames: As the sun set, flames erupted from a new senior center built by a baptist church on the more affluent east side
Two fires: Just two blocks away from the senior center, a housing development was also ablaze on Monday night
Fire fight: A Baltimore police cruiser burns after being set alight on Monday following the outbreak of riots in the troubled city
Police van ablaze: Television images showed mobs of rioters jumping on top of a police car, destroying a taxi and setting two other patrol cars on fire after teenaged crowds ignored calls to disperse and clashed with lines of hundreds of police. Gangs had threatened to target police officers, local law enforcement said
A man has his eyes cleaned after he was pepper sprayed by the Baltimore Police as violence escalates in the Maryland capital
Smoke billows from a CVS Pharmacy store in Baltimore on Monday evening after looters raided the store and set it alight
Fire hose slashed: As fire fighters tried to extinguish the flames in the CVS store, rioters slashed the hose
More than 1,000 police officers and the Maryland National Guard have arrived in the city as violence escalates
Eleven police officers have been injured, many with broken bones, and at least one appeared ‘unresponsive’
A police officer is carried to safety after being hit in the head with a rock at the Mondawmin Mall
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FREDDIE GRAY'S DEATH: THE TRIGGER FOR BALTIMORE RIOTS
Freddie Gray being detained on April 12
April 12: 8:39am: Four officers stop and arrest Freddie Gray who ran away from the police in northwest Baltimore after 'making eye contact'
8:40am: Gray is arrested after voluntarily stopping. No police reported using their Taser.
8.42am: Officers held him down, handcuffed him and loaded him into a police van. While inside, he became irate and leg cuffs were put on him, police have said.
9am: Gray was not buckled in by a seat belt, a violation of the police department's policy.
9.26am: He asked for medical help several times, and after a 30-minute ride that included three stops, paramedics were called.
At some point - either during his arrest or inside the van - he suffered a mysterious spinal injury. Authorities have not explained how or when it occurred.
April 19: Freddie Gray died from a double broken vertebrae after being arrested near Gilmor Homes in Sandtown-Winchester. It is reported his spine is 80 percent separated from his neck.
Deputy police commissioner Kevin Davis said Friday that Gray should have received medical attention at the spot of his arrest.
April 27: Freddie Gray's family and 2,500 mourners attended his funeral at the New Shiloh Baptist Church
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Just hours after he was laid to rest at a service attend by 2,500 and luminaries of the civil rights movement, hundreds of protestors started throwing rocks and stones at dozens of police in riot gear.
Three of the city's most violent and dangerous gangs - Black Guerrilla Family, Crips and Blood - have announced an unprecedented alliance to 'take out' law enforcement officers, in a move that has prompted fears for police safety across the country.
While police in riot gear remain stationed in groups, leaders from the Nation Of Islam and New Shiloh Baptist Church are walking through the streets urging looters to desist.
Nation Of Islam leaders have also linked arms with members of Crips and Blood in an apparent show of solidarity despite the threat both gangs made against the police.
Armored police vans are patrolling the streets as passers-by hurl rocks in their direction. Officers on the ground are spraying peppers spray and hurling tear has into the crowds.
Barricades erected by police are in flames across the city. Fires have been left burning by emergency services apparently to expire on their own, further enraging rioters.
As emergency services battle a burning CVS pharmacy, riot police have been forced to circle the fire engine as a barrier against rock-throwing rioters.
Police are spraying pepper spray and hurling tear gas at the crowds.
Congressman Elijah Cummings equated the situation to the unrest in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination in 1968.
He said: 'I was thinking back in 68 and 69 when I was in high schools and I thought about the riots and how businesses were being destroyed.
'Destroying property or throwing bottles or things at police, that distracts us from the fact that Freddie Gray died and that we need solutions to the problems that we have with our police department.'
As the sun sets, dozens of citizens are taking to the streets in an attempt to deter the violent groups, including Vietnam veteran Robert Valentine who said he's lived through the worst and cannot bear to watch this violence.
'I'm very pissed,' he told CNN.
David Simon, creator of Baltimore-based hit drama The Wire, has also issued a plea to the rioters: 'Turn around. Go home.'
The violence in Baltimore is being felt across the country. In Los Angeles, the LAPD has ordered all officers to work in pairs after violent gangs issued 'credible threats' to 'take out' law enforcement in Baltimore.
A 'blue alert' was issued across the California city on Monday amid fears people across the country will attempt 'revenge attacks' on police for the death of Freddie Gray.
As violence ripped through the Maryland capital on Monday, three of the city's most dangerous crime rings announced their plans to harm or kill officers.
Rival gangs Bloods, Crips, and The Black Guerrilla Family have announced they have entered into an alliance to 'take out' officers.
Black Guerrilla Family breeds some of the city's most violent convicts.
The man who killed two NYPD cops in December last year, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, was believed to have ties to the deadly group.
Crips, whose members wear blue, is one of the largest gangs in the US, and was formed in Los Angeles. Their rivalry with Bloods dates back to the 1960s.
Bloods, whose members wear red, was formed as an alliance for people to seek refuge from Crips, but soon became a crime ring itself.
In a press conference, Mayor Rawlings-Brown slammed rioters' action and said law enforcement will be reviewing TV footage of the violence to hold individuals to account.
She said: 'It is very clear there is a difference between what we saw with the peaceful protests, those who wish to seek justice and wants answers... and the thugs, who only want to incite violence and destroy our city.
'Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for - things that you know will impact our community for years.
'We're deploying every resource possible to gain control of this situation.'
Earlier, Captain Eric Kowalczyk confirmed that the police would be using tear gas to break up the riots and rubber bullets.
'We have officers deployed throughout the city and will continue to keep the city safe,' said Kowalczyk, who described the city as a war zone.
'Our officers our working appropriately to arrest those who without provocation attack out police officers.
'I have seven injured officers, one is unresponsive and some have broken bones. This is not okay. We will find the people responsible and put them in jail
'This is a lawless group of individuals.'
A man walks past a burning police vehicle as another one burns during unrest in Baltimore on Monday. Helicopters circled overhead as groups of roving youths moved through the city. Television footage showed a group of demonstrators pile on top of a car
Commuters on their way are home attacked: Demonstrators throw rocks at a bus at the Mondawmin Mall during violent clashes
Unprecedented: Members of rival gangs Crips and Blood united with Nation Of Islam in the streets in an apparent show of solidarity
Hundreds of youths outside a mall in northwest Baltimore are clashing violently with police in riot gear, throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at the officers. Baltimore police say on Twitter that several officers have been injured. Officers are using pepper-spray
Riots erupted on the west side of Baltimore but groups have moved down toward more affluent areas near Camden Yards Stadium
Violence erupts: Police drag an injured colleague away from an angry mob who began to pelt riot officers hours after the funeral
Chaos: A Baltimore police cruiser is set upon by dozens of rioters. They broke the windows and vandalized the car
Violence: Demonstrators throw rocks at the police after the funeral of Freddie Gray. The police struggled to contain them at first
Baltimore police officers detain a demonstrator after clashes with police, after the funeral of Freddie Gray
Baltimore police officer sprays pepper spray to demonstrators in an effort to control the crowd on Monday afternoon after the funeral
The majority of those throwing rocks and smoke grenades at the police appeared to be young men and the violence caused the University of Maryland Baltimore to close early.
Initially appearing to struggle to contain the demonstrators, police tactical teams arrived and they were pelted with bottles and rocks and the Baltimore Sun reported that 'several' officers were injured.
The clashes followed a widely circulated flier promising a 'purge' at 3pm to start at Mondawmin Mall which would end downtown.
The popular meme is based on the movie, 'The Purge' which imagines a lawless city.
'Due to reports from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) concerning scheduled activities today beginning at 3 p.m., UMB will close today at 2 p.m. at the recommendation of the BPD. These activities may be potentially violent and UMB could be in the path of any violence. The safety of our students and employees is of paramount importance please vacate the campus as soon as possible.'
Earlier it was announced, police in Baltimore had gone on high alert over fears their officers will now be targeted in revenge killings following the death of Freddie Gray on April 12.
On the day thousands - including luminaries of the civil rights movement - attended the 25-year-old's funeral, the Baltimore police department said they have received credible information three gangs want to 'take out officers'.
Despite years of rivalry and street warfare, it is claimed the Black Guerilla Family, the Bloods and the Crips have 'entered into a partnership to kill officers'.
Arrests: Two mean are taken into custody during the riots that broke out in Baltimore on Monday afternoon
The Baltimore PD said they were now taking 'appropriate precautions' to ensure they safety of their officers, although they did not say what they were.
The worrying development comes as family and mourners gathered for the funeral of Gray, who died in police custody earlier this month after suffering mysterious spinal injuries.
During the service, the Gray family attorney launched a scathing attack on the Baltimore Police Department.
Bill Murphy said that the six six Baltimore police officers suspended after a man suffered serious spinal injuries while in custody should come clean to the public what happened.
Murphy's remarks about the officers drew a standing ovation at the funeral of Freddie Gray. Gray died April 19, days after his encounter with police.
The 2,500-capacity New Shiloh Baptist church was filled with mourners, many of whom filed past Gray's casket before the service began.
'This is our moment to get at truth. This is our moment to get it right,' Murphy said.
Open casket; A tearful friend goes to put her hand on the head of Freddie Gray inside his coffin as she filed past to pay her last respects to the 25-year-old
A mother's grief: Gloria Darden hugs her son Freddie Gray's body before his funeral at New Shiloh Baptist Church
Gloria Darden, mother of Freddie Gray who died following an arrest by the Baltimore police department, sits by the casket at his burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland
Died in custody: Freddie Gray passed away on April 19 after suffering a severe spinal cord injury after police arrested him on April 12
Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland spoke movingly and powerfully at the funeral saying, 'To mother Gloria and to the entire family, I want you to know we stand with you during this difficult time.'
The service was led by the Rev. Jamal Bryant who delivered the eulogy and spoke of the difficulties suffered by young, black and poor men.
He said that black people need to confront the government and police to change.
'This is not the time for us as a people to be sitting on a corner drinking malt liquor. This is not the time for us to be playing lottery,' he said.
Get your black self up and change this city,' said Bryant.. 'I don't know how you can be black in America and be silent. With everything we've been through, ain't no way in the world you can sit here and be silent in the face of injustice.'
The Rev. Jesse Jackson also spoke and reminded everyone of the burden all of society must face to be equal.
'When society is sick and mean, the innocent will be slain,' said Jackson.
He pointed to the example of Baltimore itself and its poverty stricken westside, which is overwhelmingly black and the white, prosperous downtown.
'Sixteen thousand abandoned or vacant homes, 25 percent unemployment — we don't need more police, we need more jobs,' said Jackson. 'Why can't the west side get the same things downtown gets?'
Jackson also said there have been 110 deaths at the hands of police since 2010. 'Fred wasn't number one, he was number one-one-one,' said Jackson.
'We are here because we feel threatened,' said Jackson. 'All of our sons are at risk.'
In an emotional reading, Gray's stepfather, Richard Shipley recited a poem written by his sister's Missy and Carolina.
'The tears I have cried for you could flood the earth,' read Shipley.
The 11am service at the city's New Shiloh Baptist Church was also attended by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. Elijah Cummings and the Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
A small group of mourners was lined up about two hours ahead of the funeral. As they began filing into the church, the white casket with Gray's body was opened, flanked by floral arrangements. A rope was placed in front of the casket to prevent people from getting too close. One person used a cellphone to take a photo of the body.
Placed atop Gray's body was a white pillow with a screened picture of him. A projector aimed at two screens on the walls showed the words 'Black Lives Matter & All Lives Matter.'
On Sunday, the White House said the head of President Barack Obama's initiative for young men of color would attend the funeral. Broderick Johnson, chairman of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force and a Baltimore native, is to be joined by two other administration officials, according to the White House.
At Gray's wake Sunday, mourners who didn't even know him filed in a steady stream for hours into a funeral home. Some supporters stood outside with signs that read, 'We remember Freddie' and 'Our Hearts Are With The Gray Family.'
Melissa McDonald, 36, who said she was Gray's cousin, wore a shirt with 'Freddie Forever' printed on the back. She described her cousin as a nonviolent person.
'He didn't deserve to die the way he did,' she said.
Gray's wake followed demonstrations Saturday that turned violent. Roughly 1,200 protesters rallied outside City Hall on Saturday afternoon, officials said.
A smaller group splintered off and looted a convenience store and smashed storefront windows.
Saying goodbye: Mourner arrive at the open casket of Gray after lining up for hours to see the body of the 25-year-old
A protester tossed a flaming metal garbage can toward a line of police officers in riot gear as they tried to push back the crowd.
Earlier, a group of protesters smashed the windows of at least three police cars.
Some 34 people were arrested, according to Baltimore Police Department, and six police officers sustained minor injuries.
During a news conference Sunday, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called for protesters to be peaceful.
'At the end of the day, we are one Baltimore. We need to support peaceful demonstration and continue to enforce in our communities that rioting, violence, and looting will not be tolerated in our city,' the mayor said. 'Together we can be one Baltimore and seek answers as we seek justice and as we seek peace.'
Gray's death has prompted near-daily demonstrations. Gray was arrested one week before he died when officers chased him through a West Baltimore neighborhood and dragged him into a police van.
Police said Gray was arrested after he made eye contact with officers and ran away. Officers held him down, handcuffed him and loaded him into the van. While inside, he became irate and leg cuffs were put on him, police have said.
Gray asked for medical help several times, beginning before he was placed in the van. After a 30-minute ride that included three stops, paramedics were called.
Authorities have not explained how or when Gray's spine was injured.
Police acknowledged on Friday that Gray should have received medical attention on the spot where he was arrested - before he was put inside a police transport van handcuffed and without a seat belt, a violation of the police department's policy.
Moment Rioter Smashes Trash Can Through Police Car Window
On the Ground: Rioters Clash with Police in Baltimore