Prince William police call for calm following riots

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Sunday held an emergency meeting where it asked its police department to discuss the tactics used during a massive protest outside Manassas.

More than 250 people gathered at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 30 for a peaceful protest at the corner of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, about five miles from Manassas. They were protesting the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, 46, who died during an arrest attempt by a police officer who is now charged in his death.

Just after 8 o’clock, the rally turned unruly with protestors throwing objects at drivers and police. A riot ensued resulting in multiple police agencies descending onto the county, with officers donning helmets and shields, leading five arrests — including the arrest of a driver charged with DUI and other offenses for driving through a police perimeter, nearly striking officers posted at the location, police said.

Four Prince William police officers were injured during the riot, one suffering a significant head injury requiring treatment at an area hospital.

Virginia State Police, one of the agencies called to assist Prince William, used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Those actions prompted residents to contact Supervisors with questions about the actions taken by police against protestors, they said.

During the Sunday meeting, Supervisors heard a briefing about tactics used to disperse the riot.

Prince William County Police Department Deputy Chief Lt. Col. Jared Phelps told Supervisors he arrived on the scene at 8 p.m. to find groups of protestors on the corner of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, as well as a large group within the median, choking the flow of traffic.

“We realize that not everyone was there to protest in a violent manner,” said Phelps.

Phelps told supervisors that there were individuals present who were not there to protest peacefully or legally. Later in the evening, Prince William police received reports of people jumping on cars about 11 p.m. Because of this, police called an unlawful assembly.

Police were planning for a peaceful protest

On Friday, Prince William police received a tip from another law enforcement agency in the form of a Snapchat message about plans for a protest Saturday. Prince William mined social media in an attempt to determine the credibility of the tip that agency had forwarded and eventually spoke to a potential protest organizer. From the conversation, the police learned that the event was going to be peaceful, said Phelps.

“That’s what we want. As a department, we’re here to safeguard all the [First Amendment] rights for everybody. We want people to protest in a lawful, legal way so they can exercise their First Amendment rights,” said Phelps.

Afterward, Prince William asked for help from Virginia State Police to have plans and resources in place to ‘handle certain situations.” Phelps says his department coordinated with state authorities because of the protest’s potential effect on nearby Interstate 66, which falls under the jurisdiction of state police.

The first protestor arrived at 4:30 p.m., and from there the number of protestors swelled.

“We had given them some leeway in the fact that they were crossing over into the median, which is dangerous absolutely, but we were allowing latitude because we wanted everyone to exercise their first amendment right and protect that. [We wanted to] protect the area, we felt we could do that,” said Phelps.

Police call in backup

Prince William received information about its officers being surrounded by protestors at about 7:30 p.m. The department called for additional resources and assistance from nearby localities to regulate the protest, including Manassas, Fairfax County, and Virginia State Police, as they felt it was starting to get dangerous.

As more officers were moved in, conditions quieted down. At this point, Prince William backed off its request for additional assistance.

Virginia State Police deployed rubber bullets and gas on individuals

However, some who weren’t at the peaceful protest showed up and started throwing objects at law enforcement, and Prince William called in help from the state police.

Prince William police believed that some individuals attempted to march on I-66, reinforcing its decision to call for backup.

The two agencies worked together and held a line, stopping a group of rioters at Rosemary Drive, about a half-mile west of Sudley Manor Drive. Police held this position for “quite a while.” After they cleared the cars, Sudley Road was closed between Balls Ford Road and Lomond Drive.

As the riot continued later into the night, state police used rubber bullets and pepper spray to subdue the rioters. Phelps told Supervisors that while he was not the one in charge or to give the order to use rubber bullets or gas, he takes full responsibility for the actions taken by state police as it was the agency in charge of handing the riot.

Prince William does not train its officers in the use of rubber bullets but does provide training on gas. Virginia State Police troopers are trained in both.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller gave Potomac Local News this statement:

“Once the Unlawful Assembly was declared by the Prince William County police and the protesters’ violence escalated against law enforcement, state police utilized non-lethal tactics in an effort to disperse the crowd and restore order. The actions taken by state police are within state police policy and were necessary for the safety of our personnel and for the community. As the protesters became more aggressive with throwing bricks, large rocks and bottles at law enforcement, state police had no choice but to respond with different non-lethal tactics – OC “pepper” spray and powder, and rubber pellets. No CS gas was ever deployed by state police Saturday night.  

By the time the crowds finally dispersed early Sunday morning, a total of 10 Virginia State Police troopers were injured. Fortunately, injuries were minor and only one trooper had to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.”

Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin questioned the use of pepper spray to disperse the crowd. 

“I would not want that used if we can avoid it if at all possible. [Lt. Col. Phelps] and I had a very good discussion about that last night and you did clear that you guys were not using that, that you had no intention of doing that if at all possible. And you did reveal that the state police had used it. And I just want to say to the public that I stand by that,” said Franklin.

Fairfax County police protected businesses

During the night, the Fairfax County police sent officers to protect surrounding businesses from possible damage from rioters. At least five businesses that were damaged Saturday night, one of which involved an individual attempting to ram their car into the back of a store.

The riot broke up about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin wrote on Facebook Sunday that she was against the use of tear gas.

“Please know that while those protests were taking place, myself, along with several of my colleagues made it clear to County police that we are against the use of tear gas. However, state police did in fact use tear gas and pepper spray. Several members of both the state and congressional delegations have made several calls to State police and the Northam Administration to figure out what happened and why the use of tear gas. I will share more information as that becomes available.”

“Call for Calmness”

Supervisors asked Phelps what police need to help quell the unrest, and if the department wanted leaders to enact a countywide curfew. Phelps declined and, instead, asked members of the Board of Supervisors to “call for calmness” amongst their constituents.

“Please. Please. Legally, peacefully, we want to help everyone protest and exercise their first amendment rights as much as we can, but we have to do this in an orderly, peaceful manner,” said Phelps.

More violence 

Following the emergency meeting, police in Manassas declared an unlawful assembly after another protest that began peacefully ended in violence, with the windows to several businesses on Liberia Avenue being shattered.

Last night in Gainesville, protestors who had been marching on sidewalks in the Gainesville area with a police escort for most of the day spilled onto U.S. 29 about 10 p.m., forcing the closure of a portion of the highway. 

Earlier in the evening, further south in Fredericksburg, protestors on the Cambridge Street Bridge over the Rappahannock River smashed the window of a car that was trying to bypass a line of protestors who had linked arms and formed a human wall. One of the protestors smashed the windows of the car causing the shattered glass to fall onto the three occupants of the vehicle, including a one-year-old child.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, which already had deputies on the scene, deployed smoke, and later CS gas to disperse the crowd. No one was seriously injured.