Riots Spur Indianapolis Police to Step Up Patrols

Authorities are deploying police in large numbers to calm a city rocked by two nights of rioting, Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith said Friday.

Police on Thursday used tear gas to break up crowds as protesters angry over the alleged beating of a black man in police custody threw rocks and looted stores. On Wednesday, a demonstration over the arrest escalated into a riot.

In one incident Thursday, officers fired tear gas into a crowd outside a drugstore that was being looted and arrested 27 people who were charged with disorderly conduct and other offenses.

Streets in the Near Northside neighborhood were blocked off and a police station was barricaded as about 100 officers patrolled the area.

The situation was complicated Friday by an expected influx of thousands of people for the 25th annual Black Expo, an African American cultural celebration.

“It’s a hot night tonight . . . and it’s a long weekend,” Goldsmith told reporters. “We will continue with an overwhelming but restrained police presence.”

Community leaders said they were trying to restore calm.

“We’re doing what we can do to defuse the situation,” said the Rev. Anne Byfield, pastor of the Robinson Community AME Church in the heart of the riot zone.

“We’re walking through the streets. We’re meeting with the kids. We arranged a meeting last night with many of the young people in the neighborhood and the mayor directly,” she said.

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Thursday night’s disturbances followed a demonstration Wednesday night that erupted into a melee with police firing tear gas into a brick-throwing crowd. Twelve people were arrested Wednesday. About a dozen were injured and 11 police cars were damaged.

The demonstration reportedly grew out of the arrest and alleged beating by police of 21-year-old Danny Sales. Police Chief James Toler said the incident was being investigated but that Sales could not be located Friday.

“We have not heard from him and we haven’t been able to locate him,” Toler said.

Goldsmith and Toler promised an investigation into the incident that led to the riot.

“If there is overzealous activity, I’m confident the chief will deal with that,” Goldsmith said Thursday.

Police said Sales was not beaten, but instead had run from officers and tripped, suffering a minor injury.

The police chief issued a one-paragraph statement promising a series of discussions with neighborhood residents.