Nineteen police officers injured after drug check sparks riots in Stuttgart

Twenty-four people were arrested and 19 police officers injured after a police drug check triggered riots in the German city of Stuttgart late Saturday and early Sunday, local police said on Sunday evening in a statement.

The riots broke out during a police inspection over suspected drug offense in the city center of Stuttgart. A large number of surrounding people began to attack the police during a preliminary arrest of a suspect at around 11:30 p.m., the police said.

Eventually several hundred people were involved in the clashes, throwing stones and bottles at the police, and rescue workers deployed were also partially attacked, the Stuttgart police said.

Around 30 shops and facilities were damaged, and at least eight stores were looted, according to the police. Twelve patrol cars were also partially damaged during the operation.

Rioters moved through the city center in a multitude of small groups of different sizes and the situation only calmed down around 4:30 a.m., according to the statement.

German press agency DPA reported that seven of the 24 people arrested were under 18 years old, and seven were between the ages of 18 and 21.

The police said on Sunday afternoon in a press conference that the acts of violence were not politically motivated, but were caused by people partying, and others looking for a fight, according to the DPA report.