RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Four people, including a Chesapeake resident, have been charged following unrest in Richmond Tuesday night.
Richmond Police Department said on Wednesday four people were arrested in connection with demonstrations that resulted in damaged vehicles and buildings.
According to police, just before 10 p.m., individuals in the group were observed throwing objects at customers at a restaurant along West Main Street.
A short time later, police say officers observed an individual throw a large stone and damage an RPD K-9 vehicle.
Later, that same individual, who police did not directly identify, was seen throwing an object at a city business.
“As officers moved to arrest this individual, a group member assaulted an officer,” police stated.
Richmond police arrested the following in connection to the riots:
- Paxton Chapman was charged with obstruction of justice, carrying a concealed weapon and pedestrian in the roadway.
- Saraswati Rowe was charged with obstructing free passage.
- Harrison Sellers, of Chesapeake, was charged with inciting a riot and throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle.
- Michael Toney was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer.
According to police, unlawful assembly was not declared and no chemical agents were deployed.
The protests were in response to the shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man in Philadelphia. Police said the 27-year-old was wielding a knife and ignored orders to drop the weapon before officers fired shots.
His parents said Tuesday night that officers knew their son was in a mental health crisis because they had been to the family’s house three times on Monday, however.
In Richmond, the Philadelphia incident invoked memories of the 2018 shooting of Marcus David Peters, who was experiencing a mental health episode when he lunged at an officer while naked.
Richmond Officer Michael Nyantakyi fatally shot Peters after tasing proved ineffective.
Two years later, Richmond’s nine city council members unanimously approved the developmental phase of the ‘Marcus Alert’ program, which aims to improve law enforcement’s response to mental health-related calls.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call (804) 780-1000.
