ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — A situation became tense Saturday night when a protest and a counter-protest clashed in St. Petersburg, and weapons came out.
A Facebook page called Str34m-TV posted a video that shows someone pulling out a gun during demonstrations downtown. The St. Petersburg Police Department said that person showed the firearm after two opposing protesters "pulled a knife."
No shots were fired, nobody was hurt and no property was damaged. Authorities say the groups were separated, but police have opened an investigation and are now looking for the three people involved.
"We don't want that in our city. And, we're not going to tolerate that type of behavior in our city," St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway said Tuesday during a news conference.
The protests over the weekend came after a grand jury announced its decision to indict one former Louisville police officer for his actions the night Breonna Taylor died. That ex-officer, Brett Hankison, has pleaded not guilty to wanton endangerment charges after prosecutors say he fired multiple shots that went into a neighbor's apartment and endangered three people. Neither Hankison nor any other current or former officers were charged for Taylor's death.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said all peaceful protests are welcome in the city, but violence won't be tolerated.
"Keep your guns, knives and weapons at home," Kriseman said Tuesday.
Officers added extra patrols downtown over the weekend to make sure people stayed safe. Chief Holloway also added that there will be more uniformed police officers at protests moving forward.
You can watch the video below. Viewer discretion is advised.
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