Protests over the killing of an African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis reached Washington on Friday, with the White House put under lockdown.

A massive group of demonstrators converged on the White House to protest the killing by a now dismissed policeman, Derek Chauvin, according to reports,.

Tension ran high between marchers and police, prompting the Secret Service to place the building on lockdown.

George Floyd, victim of police brutality on blacks and the protesters

The protesters briefly shut down traffic on a major thoroughfare before reaching the White House.

A heavy police presence of policemen, barricades and a huge crowd of demonstrators could be seen in videos shared online.