Cleveland
Police officers in Cleveland made multiple arrests Saturday night following a largely peaceful day of protests against a "not guilty" verdict handed down for a white police officer charged with killing two unarmed black suspects in November. Reuters/Aaron Josefczyk

This story has been updated.

UPDATE, 9:48 p.m. EDT: A total of 71 people were arrested in Cleveland Saturday during protests over the not-guilty verdict handed down to Officer Michael Brelo, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams told a reporter from the city's WKYC-TV.

Original story below.

Police officers made multiple arrests late Saturday in Cleveland following the acquittal of a white police officer who was charged with killing two unarmed black suspects. Officer Michael Brelo was found not guilty Saturday in the deaths of Timothy Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30, who died in a police shooting in November.

After Russell committed a turn-signal violation and refused to pull over, officers engaged in a high-speed chase that ended when Russell crashed into a police car in the parking lot of a middle school. Officers said they believed Russell had a weapon, partly because the car he was driving backfired and officers misjudged the noise as gunfire.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John P. O’Donnell early Saturday found Brelo not guilty on two accounts of voluntary manslaughter. Protestors took to the streets of downtown Cleveland soon after the verdict was announced.

The Cleveland Police Department confirmed at 6:30 p.m. one person had been arrested for assault for throwing an object through a window, injuring a restaurant patron. The department announced more arrests about three hours later:

Megan Shaw, a journalist for WEWS NewsChannel5 in Cleveland tweeted from the scene:

Earlier in the day, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson held a press conference during which he urged demonstrators to remain peaceful. "People have a right to protest and let their voices be heard,” he said.

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