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MINNEAPOLIS — Law enforcement agencies have acknowledged that officers slashed the tires of numerous unoccupied vehicles parked during the height of recent unrest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon said troopers cut the tires in order to stop vehicles from “driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement.”

Troopers also targeted vehicles “that contained items used to cause harm during violent protests” such as rocks, concrete and sticks, Gordon said Monday.

Deputies from Anoka County also cut tires on vehicles during the protests connected to Floyd’s death on May 25, according to Anoka County Sheriff’s Lt. Andy Knotz. Deputies were following orders from the state-led Multiagency Command Center, which was coordinating law enforcement during the protests, Knotz said.

All four tires on the car of Star Tribune reporter Chris Serres were slashed in a Kmart parking lot while he was on foot covering the protests and unrest, the newspaper reported.

Protesters nationwide are calling for police reforms in response to Floyd’s death, and calls to “defund the police” have become rallying cries for many.

Protests that followed Floyd’s death have been marred by arson, looting and property damage, prompting some cities to impose curfews.