Police arrested a relative of Breonna Taylor's and seek to apprehend Jacob Blake's father following protests in northwest Ohio over the killing of Black motorist Jayland Walker, family and officials said Thursday.
Bianca Austin was taken into custody in Akron on Wednesday night, and a bench warrant was issued for Jacob Blake Sr., a Blake family member said.
Protesters were in the streets of Akron demanding accountability for the slaying of Walker, who died in a volley of gunshots Akron police fired June 27.
Blake Sr. is the father of Jacob Blake, who was seriously wounded by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 23, 2020. The shooting sparked mass protests; a walkout by NBA players delayed the playoffs.
Bianca Austin is the aunt of Taylor, who was killed in a botched police raid at her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2020.
Blake Sr. and Austin traveled together to Akron through Families United, a group seeking greater accountability for police brutality and shootings, said Justin Blake, a family member.
They were sitting together in a van when they saw police punch a man in the face during the protest, Justin Blake said. They got out of the vehicle to question police before officers confronted them, he said.
“They were down there supporting the family and the community when this thing occurred and when the brutality turned on them,” he said.
The Summit County Jail confirmed Thursday that Austin was an inmate at the facility, booked on charges of rioting, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.
No records were immediately available to show that Blake Sr. was under arrest, the jail said.
Blake Sr. was taken to an Akron hospital Wednesday after a confrontation with police, and a bench warrant was issued later, Justin Blake said.
Representatives of City Hall and the Akron Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
