US: Police charge protesters defying Minneapolis curfew

Minneapolis: Police in riot gear charged protesters defying a curfew in Minneapolis Saturday, firing tear gas and stun grenades to keep them away from a police station, an AFP photographer said.

Officers, assisted by National Guard soldiers, had until then held back from confronting demonstrators out of fear of aggravating the crisis and because they were initially low in number.

Minneapolis has been gripped by several days of violent protests following the death of an unarmed black man during an arrest in the city on Monday.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta were among several US cities to announce curfews Saturday in a bid to stem violent anti-police protests breaking out across America.

A nighttime curfew was also implemented in Louisville, Kentucky as the United States continues to be rocked by demonstrators.