WATCH: Demonstrators break into Ohio Statehouse during protest over police killing of George Floyd

Protesters broke windows and charged into the Ohio Statehouse during a standoff with police over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Demonstrations turned violent Thursday night in several U.S. cities over Floyd's killing by police, and officers in Columbus fired tear gas and pepper spray at about 400 protesters who were vandalizing and looting stores along South High Street, reported the Columbus Dispatch.

Some protesters hurled plastic water bottles at officers, who responded with volleys of chemical irritants.

After pepper spray dispersed protesters around 11:20 p.m., demonstrators broke windows as they fled and overturned trash cans on the Statehouse lawn.

A DGX store was broken into and looted as protesters fled the harsh chemicals, and some of them broke into the Statehouse.

A SWAT unit was sent to the Statehouse after the break-in, and police announced an emergency had been declared for the area and threatened to arrest anyone who refused to leave.