Riot police fire tear gas at protesters outside Miami Police Department (VIDEOS)

Tensions have escalated in Florida, where crowds of Black Lives Matter protesters descended on Miami streets to denounce police brutality and face off with cops in riot gear.

Riot police deployed tear gas and reportedly fired rubber bullets at an agitated crowd that converged on a police department garage in downtown Miami. While the majority of the protesters seemed peaceful, several people were seen throwing objects at police who were protecting the building.

The protesters gathered in downtown Miami on Saturday to stand in solidarity with George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while being detained by police in Minnesota. The incident has sparked unrest across the country.

People carried signs and chanted “I can’t breathe” – the words Floyd was filmed saying as he was pinned on the ground by a white police officer earlier this week in Minneapolis. The man died after the officer pressed his knee onto his neck while attempting to detain him. Floyd’s death caused an outcry and triggered riots and unrest in several major US cities.

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