Detroit's top cop to George Floyd protesters: 'We understand' hurt, but will be 'relentless' against criminals

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Detroit Police Chief discusses second night of protests

James Craig, Detroit Police Chief, discusses the second night of protests on 'America's News HQ.'

Detroit Police Chief James Craig warned protesters Sunday that he had no plans of backing down following a weekend of violence and national unrest over the death of George Floyd.

In an interview on "America's News HQ," Craig discussed the curfew implemented in Detroit barring access to public streets starting from 8 p.m. Sunday until 5 a.m. Monday, as protests continued to escalate across the country.

"[Our] Message is simple," he said, "We support those who are lawfully protesting, we understand the pain... but I will tell you, if you're going to be a lawbreaker, we're going to be relentless in our pursuit to arrest you."

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Craig said his department made 84 arrests on Saturday and vowed to "make more tonight if necessary."

He underscored, "We're not gonna stand for lawlessness."

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Peaceful protests turned into riots over the weekend, prompting President Trump and Attorney General William Barr to point fingers at the far-left group Antifa, who they largely blamed for the dangerous escalation.

Craig said the protests were "peaceful, uneventful" for much of Friday, but a "much more agitated, very aggressive group" later hijacked them.

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"The first night, we were able to make probably 40 or so arrests, and probably of that, 60 to 70 percent lived outside the city of Detroit," he explained. "The following night [was the] same situation."

Craig praised community activists and local leaders for joining officers "on the front lines" to help maintain order and safety.

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"We believe that's gone a long way in really mitigating some of the violence we've seen in other places," Craig said.

Fox News' Sandra Smith contributed to this report.