I believe that I read last night that the cops did abandon the station, and the thugs then entered by force and started fires within the station.
Seems to me that this is another Ferguson, with the local government giving the thugs their “space” rather than doing the right thing and protecting the taxpayer’s property and busting heads.
What is concerning is that the thugs might have gotten access to the stores of police weapons, as they don’t always carry rifles in every car. Things have probably changed over the years, but our locals had their service handgun, along with a shotgun bolted into a lock right on the center of the dashboard, for quick access. Of course, that was back when the shotgun was still called a riot gun.
The other thing that made new sense was that they were undoing the gas lines / plumbing - that did not sound like spontaneous rioting - it sounded like planned demolition.
“shotgun was still called a riot gun.”
I like to call it a fowling piece.