Gov. Tim Walz Announces Extension Of Curfew, Highway Closures For Sunday Evening

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is extending the curfew, put in place in the Twin Cities to quell unrest, into Sunday evening. The curfew will be in effect at 8 p.m.

On Sunday morning, Walz explained his decision, saying it would be "naive and irresponsible to abandon strategy" considering how well the curfew worked, coupled with the combination of a fully mobilzed Minnesota National Guard Saturday evening.

"The curfew on Friday and Saturday night allowed our law enforcement to target those who meant to do harm to our communities," Walz said. "Law enforcement made several arrests and seized weapons, narcotics, long guns, handguns, magazines and knives. We have reason to believe that bad actors continue to infiltrate the rightful protests of George Floyd's murder, which is why we are extending the curfew by one day."

The temporary curfew is extended from 8 p.m. Sunday evening to 6 a.m. Monday.

"During the curfew, no one is allowed to travel on Minneapolis and Saint Paul streets or public places, except for first responders, members of the media, people going back and forth to work, individuals seeking emergency care or fleeing danger, and people experiencing homelessness. Curfews are not limited to Minneapolis and St. Paul. Mayors and local governments across the state can issue their own curfews," the governor's office said.

RELATED: Read The Latest News On The Unrest After George Floyd's Death

When asked why he waited so long to launch the National Guard operation, Walz said, "in retrospect, if we had launched the force last Friday we would have been better off. But it wasn't to be. That wasn't the case."

According to Walz, figures so far show that 20 percent of those arrested during this weekend's unrest in the Twin Cities were from outside Minnesota.

The curfew was defied by rioters Friday night, who caused destruction and fires to downtown stores and businesses following the death of George Floyd. The second night, with the Minnesota National Guard fully mobilized, saw less overt destruction and unrest.

As of Sunday, these are the cities that have also instilled curfews:

• Hibbing: 9 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday
• Bloomington: 8 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday