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

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

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

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.

Earlier, President Trump had sent a message of condolence to the family of George Floyd, according to a White House tweet.