More Protests Hit Anaheim Following Police Shooting

(Newsroom America) -- Demonstrations ramped up in the southern California city of Anaheim Tuesday, as crowds shattered a half-dozen storefront windows and set fires to protest the shooting of an apparently unarmed man by police earlier this week.

As many as five people were arrested in the second major clash with police and demonstrators, reports said. On Monday, Tom Tait, mayor of Anaheim, called for a state and federal review of the shooting of a man who was a suspected gang member.

Police said over 600 demonstrators gathered near city hall where officials were holding a regular meeting.

Reports said some demonstrators threw patio chairs through the windows of a Starbucks coffee shop. No one was injured in the assault, Anaheim police spokesman Sgt. Bob Dunn told Reuters.

At least five other businesses in the same strip mall had windows shattered, a Reuters witness said, leading to the deployment of several shotgun-wielding police officers to protect the remaining businesses.

Tensions in the city flared following the shooting of the man Saturday by police. According to police and witness reports, two officers attempted to approach three men in an alley; all three fled, Dunn said earlier this week.

Officers pursued on foot and caught up to one suspect. In the ensuing moments, police shot the man, who was later identified as Manuel Diaz, a known gang member. Diaz was found not to have a gun.

In Tuesday's battle, police arrested five and one other person was injured and taken to an area hospital, reports said. Scores of officers wielding night sticks faced off against hundreds of demonstrators, some of whom at one point threw rocks and bottles towards the police line.

Police fired pepper pellets near the scene of the shooting to disperse crowds.

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