Jacob Blake's Father and Breonna Taylor's Aunt Arrested by Akron Police

Jacob Blake's father and Breonna Taylor's aunt were reportedly arrested while protesting the police killing of Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio.

Protests have been taking place in Akron since Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was killed by officers in a hail of gunfire following a pursuit in the early hours on June 27. Police later confirmed Walker was unarmed and released video footage of the shooting, fueling further outrage.

Protesters gathered in front of the Akron Police Department on Wednesday after Mayor Dan Horrigan lifted a curfew that was put in place after protests became violent last week.

Several people were taken into custody, WJW reported, after police said anyone on the street downtown would be subject to arrest.

According to reports on social media, the relatives of Black people who have been harmed or killed by police were among those taken into custody.

A video posted on Twitter by @FamilysSoupTV captured the moment officers restrained Jacob Blake Sr., while other protesters yelled at police to let him go.

"He's handicapped! That's Jacob Blake Sr.! You know who that is, right?" the person behind the camera can be heard shouting.

Taylor's aunt, Bianca Austin, was "manhandled" by officers, according to the tweet posted alongside the clip.

"The moment the Police moved in, Bianca Austin was manhandled. Me and Cortez Rice were bear maced. Activists Pressure was assaulted. He had his head slammed on the ground, the truck and was punched by cops, and Jacob Blake Sr was pinned," it said.

Videos on Twitter also showed multiple police officers restraining one protester as an officer repeatedly punched the man in the face.

Austin and activist Cortez Rice were later arrested "when they tried speaking to the press about what happened," the user wrote in another tweet.

Blake Sr. was "severely beaten" by officers and transported to hospital in police custody, political activist Fred Hampton said in a video posted on Twitter.

His son, Jacob Blake Jr., was paralyzed after being shot multiple times in the back by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 23, 2020. The shooting prompted unrest during a summer that saw widespread protests fueled by the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people, including Breonna Taylor.

Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was unarmed when she was shot dead by police, who executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2020.

Newsweek has contacted the Akron Police Department and representatives for Blake and Austin for comment. The mayor's office has also been asked for comment.