NASCAR Hall of Fame damaged, Hornets shop looted during Charlotte riots

Reports surfaced Thursday morning of looting, but NASCAR Hall of Fame says no items stolen.

Eamon Queeney—North State Journal
An outdoor view of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte

When rioters took to the streets on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, several buildings were damaged in the process. Of those, both the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Hornets gift shop were broken into by protesters.The Hornets shop was ransacked by protesters, leaving shards of glass behind where window panes were previously. Ty Chandler of WCNC in Charlotte shared photos of the damage to the team store.Hornets team store at arena looted #wcnc #KeithScott pic.twitter.com/rCh8mkKr5b— Ty Chandler (@TyChandler_News) September 22, 2016
Protesters smashed windows at the Charlotte Convention Center and at an office tower next to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. At least four businesses at the EpiCentre, a large, three-story entertainment venue, were damaged or looted.While no objects were stolen from the NASCAR Hall, the adjacent restaurant saw the brunt of the damage. Chase Wilhelm of Fox Sports shared photos of the broken glass before it was boarded up.Another window shattered at the @NASCARHall during last night's riots in Uptown #CLT. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/2Noej0S8PJ— Chase Wilhelm (@Chase_Wilhelm) September 22, 2016
The NASCAR Hall didn’t speak to the amount of damage, but did release a statement on the situation.”The last 48 hours have been a difficult time for the Charlotte community,” CRVA Director of Communications Laura White said. “While the NASCAR Hall of Fame did experience damage to an exterior window during [Wednesday] night’s events, the exhibits and artifacts housed in the venue remain intact. There was a breach that took place at one of our tenant spaces, Buffalo Wild Wings.”We are operating under normal business hours today and will continue to work with the City and CMPD to monitor the latest developments.”The riots in downtown Charlotte were in response to the shooting death of Keith Scott by a police officer. After two nights of riots, Thursday night saw peaceful protests after the family viewed video of Scott’s death.