'Absolute chaos': Fury erupts in US

Protesters have continued into their second day in Minneapolis sparked by the death of an African American man who was pinned by a white police officer to the ground before his death.

The shocking death of George Floyd has caused outrage across the US and protests have sprung up in other cities, with hundreds of demonstrators calling of action against the US police.

After two days of heated clashes between protesters and police in Minneapolis, demonstrators have clashed with police in Los Angeles in California and in Memphis in Tennessee on Thursday.

The demonstrations began after footage emerged on Tuesday showing Mr Floyd being pinned to the ground by a white police officer who was kneeling on his neck.

RELATED: Wild protests erupt after George Floyd's 'sickening' death in Minneapolis

Mr Floyd, 46, had begged to be let go during the incident, telling the officer, "I can't breathe", before he lost consciousness. Terrified bystanders watched on, telling the officer he was bleeding from the nose and struggling. The incident went for about nine minutes.

He was then put on a stretcher and taken to the Hennepin County Medical Centre where was pronounced dead.

RELATED: George Floyd death: How cop's actions sparked wild protests

The scenes have been described as "absolute chaos" by Minneapolis based journalist Aaron Lavinsky, as rioters continue to strip shelves and burn buildings in Minneapolis.

A reporter from the Nine network, Tim Arvier, described the scene outside Target as "absolute lawlessness". He said many of the looters had recently lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic and were using the opportunity to get food.

The lawyer for Mr Floyd's family, Ben Crump, urged protesters not to engage in violence.

"We don't need that. We need people focused on getting justice," he said on Thursday.

He's also calling for an independent investigation and says he doesn't trust the city of Minneapolis.

"They offered him no humanity while keeping his knee on his neck," Mr Crump said.

"Members of the public were the only ones trying to de-escalate the situation. Not the police."

Originally published as 'Absolute chaos': Fury erupts in US