Following Sunday's outbreak of violent riots that included looting, arson, and vandalism over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, a curfew was imposed in the US capital. In the wake of the riots US President Donald Trump decided to "mobilise all available federal resources - civilian and military - to stop the rioting and looting".
During a speech at the White House, Trump "strongly recommended" that every governor deploy the National Guard in numbers sufficient to "dominate the streets".
He also warned that if a city or a state refuses to do so, he will deploy the US military and "solve the problem for them".
Amid Trump's announcement on maximising the federal security presence in the city, military cars were spotted in Washington DC and police forces cordoned off areas in the US capital in order to prevent further escalation.
One of the actions undertaken by Trump in order to restore order was the deployment of the military police on the streets.
Social media users have shared videos of military forces gathering in Washington DC, protecting monuments, sites, and cordoning off areas engulfed by the previous day's riots.
A video of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs assessing the military presence in the city was also shared on social media.
Riots and Looting Continue in US
Other regions of the country also faced a new day of protests. In New York, stores on Madison Avenue were looted, in a scene described by social media users as "very tough", while in St Louis, protesters attacked local police, hurling firecrackers and bottles at law enforcement.
Law enforcement also showed up during a looting incident on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, as rioters broke into a Rite Aid store.
Another video showed arson occurring near an apartment building in Van Nuys, California.
The protests across the US were sparked by what the Hennepin County medical examiner on Moday determined was the homicide of George Floyd, an African American resident of Minneapolis, killed by police officer Derek Chauvin. As confirmed by the official autopsy results, it was asphyxia that caused his death due to Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes.