A State of Emergency has Been Declared in the Northern Krauanagazan City of Vellienza After Hours of Unrest in the Old Quarter District
BREAKING— Vellienza City Police were called around 5:30 p.m. local time in response to a theft reported at a corner store. Police say two officers arrived on the scene to find several individuals allegedly engaged in a physical altercation. Witnesses say the authorities intervened to stop the fight; however, one officer was struck by a young adult male, prompting the second officer to begin attacking the offender with a baton and radio for backup.
More officers arrived in the area around 5:37 p.m. as witnesses reported that the person who had allegedly hit the officer earlier was still being beaten upon their arrival. Several accounts describe a group of officers surrounding the man, striking him repeatedly as he called out for his mother. The brutal scene quickly drew a crowd— mostly Mitalldukish refugees and asylum seekers— who identified the ethnic markings of the man being assaulted as Mitalldukish. As word spread, anger rippled through the gathered crowd. Shouts erupted, with some demanding that the police stop, while others recorded the incident on their phones. A bottle was thrown, then another, and within minutes, a standoff had formed between the police line and the growing crowd.
At 5:48 p.m., additional police units were dispatched as the situation quickly deteriorated. Officers began firing tear gas into the crowd after several people reportedly attempted to push past police lines and throw debris. In response, demonstrators overturned several market stalls and set fire to trash bins, the smoke quickly filling the narrow alleys of the Old Quarter. By 4:20 p.m., the unrest had spread across several blocks. Police vehicles were vandalized, and small fires burned in front of the Saint Karven Bazaar. Authorities declared a state of emergency shortly after 8:00 p.m., and have since deployed riot control units and imposed a temporary curfew across Vellienza’s central districts.
Local hospitals have reported dozens of injuries, including both civilians and police officers. Human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the incident, citing reports that the man at the center of the confrontation remains in critical condition. Government officials in Vellienza have urged calm, warning that “further escalation could endanger lives and deepen divisions.” Yet as of late evening, the Old Quarter remained under lockdown, with armored vehicles stationed at key intersections and residents sheltering indoors amid sporadic clashes.