At least two security officers injured by Bellevue protesters
BELLEVUE, Wash. June 2 2020— Bellevue city leaders on Sunday declared a civil emergency and imposed a citywide curfew after dozens of people began protesting and looting in the city’s downtown core.
Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett said Bellevue Square suffered heavy damage after looters broke into the shuttered mall.
“It’s destroyed inside,” he said. “It breaks my heart, because I wish we could have stopped it. And we’re going to figure out how to stop it next time.
He said they were prepared and knew there may be looters heading their way.
“We didn’t know how much…and how violent and well organized they were.”
Mylett said they weren’t sure where the looters were coming from, but they did make some arrests which will help determine the location.
“We were making traffic stops even before they arrived and as they were coming in,” Mylett said. “And nobody’s from Bellevue. To my knowledge, maybe a few from Seattle, but they’re coming in from way out of the area. And how dare they.”
Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett spoke to protesters about how his department works to ensure the civil liberties of its residents
Police issued a two-minute warning before deploying tear gas to get the protesters to disperse. The crowd ultimately did disperse peacefully as shop owners said they would have to clean up the damage done by the looters.
At least two security guards were hurt during a run-in with looters although it appears that they were not seriously hurt, police said.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s office said he has activated up to 200 additional National Guard soldiers to quell looting and unrest in Bellevue and King County. That means up to 400 Guard members have been deployed to the Seattle area following three consecutive days of unrest.
Officials said at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, a group broke into Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square North and South and began looting stores.
The unrest in Bellevue occurred as protesters gathered Sunday in downtown Sunday for a third day of unrest and violence that has gripped the nation following the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota by four police officers.
Meeghan Black, a spokeswoman for Bellevue police, said the agency learned Saturday night that known gang members were planning on coming to Bellevue to cause chaos.
Police Chief Steve Mylett said a group that came into the city was “hell bent on causing destruction.”
During an impassioned meeting with protesters, Mylett told the crowd that he and his department works to ensure the safety of all of its citizens and he criticized the police behavior in Minnesota that has touched off the national unrest.
Black said multiple arrests have been made but it was not clear how many people were in custody,
“These are criminals bent on coming into the city and causing destruction,” Black said. “We will not tolerate the criminal activity of looting the stores in Bellevue.”
As part of the unrest, Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson said the city has asked for help from the Washington National Guard, which has deployed at lest 200 members to help keep the peace in Seattle.
Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett spoke to KOMO News amid protests
The city’s curfew extends from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. in the downtown area and east of Interstate 405.
Several people were seen breaking into stores at Bellevue Square Mall and carrying out bags of merchandise. Police said the situation was still very active.
Bellevue is a suburban high-tech city with several upscale stores and a population of over 145,000 people.
