Looters hit some stores, but less than previous nights after curfew expanded
NEW YORK - On the first night of an expanded curfew across New York City, looters hit some stores but police measures appeared to be working to prevent widespread destruction.
The NYPD reported some looting across the city including a smoke shop on West 29th Street and 6th Avenue. A Zara store was looted in Lower Manhattan.
About 280 people were arrested between late Tuesday into Wednesday morning after a day of peaceful demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.
COVERAGE: DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD
Thousands of demonstrators defied the curfew while protesting across the Brooklyn Bridge. The crowd was not allowed to enter Manhattan and eventually dispersed.
On Wednesday, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea shared a video of police officers removing bins of rocks that had been left on a street corner, presumably for rioters.
He sais "organized looters" were strategically placing caches of bricks and rocks throughout New York City.
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted at about 11 p.m. that he was at the Barclay's Center and the curfew - which was expanded to 8 p.m. from 11 p.m. the previous night- appeared to be working.
Monday night looting was rampant and the curfew had been defied.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio and called the chaos a "disgrace." He later clarified through an advisor that he was not blaming the NYPD but was questioning management and deployment measures.