See Photos Of How Protesters Looted And Burnt Banks To Ashes As Protest Turns Violence

Saturday night, the violent chaos that engulfed the country spread to a suburb of San Diego, where rioters burned two banks to the ground and robbed and destroyed several other businesses.

Peaceful demonstrations over the Minneapolis killing of George Floyd erupted into chaos as night fell on La Mesa, a neighborhood of about 60,000 residents east of San Diego, leaving a trail of devastation behind.

They torched the banks of the Chase and the Union next door, reported Fox 5. Images showed the fire engulfing one bank, leaving each morning behind a gutted lumber skeleton and twisted metal.

On several businesses, including a Goodwill shop, a real estate company, and a famous bar, Windows has been shattered. Daniel Buxton, owner of Play It Again Sports, said he had returned to find “total devastation” at his establishment.

“Took what they could, to kill what they could and to get out,” he told local KPBS station. He added that looters used bats to smash the inside and ignited a fire that had been doused by sprinklers.

KNSD captured footage of looters busting through glass windows and targeting a Walmart at the Grossmont Center in La Mesa after midnight.

“I think people are upset and frustrated because they are trying to be heard because there is no other way to get anyone’s attention,” Ally Kaiahua, a white woman, told The Associated Press about the property damage in La Mesa. “It’s sad but that’s been part of our culture and how things are done so they’re not listening any other way.”

At 7am, after the curfew was lifted Volunteers started coming out Sunday morning to help clean up the destruction in La Mesa. Many bore trash bags and brooms, while others wear vandalized items, said local news outlets.

“To see this group come together was incredible,” Aaron Henderson, owner of a plundered coffee shop, told KNSD.