Protesters rally against racial inequality and the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on June 13, 2020. (Photo: Agencies)

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A group of protesters marched onto a highway in Atlanta, Georgia, late Saturday night over a deadly police shooting of an African American man in the city on Friday.

According to live images on local media outlets, the protesters held a line on the Interstate 85 and Interstate 75 connector, blocking multiple vehicles, including police cars.

Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was shot dead after local police were dispatched to respond to complaints that he was asleep in the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant.

Police said they tried to take Brooks into custody after he failed a sobriety test, which led to a struggle between Brooks and the other officers. Police claimed that Brooks, while allegedly resisting, grabbed an officer's Taser and ran off with it.

The incident came shortly after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, in police custody, which has sparked massive protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and across the rest of the nation.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down later on Saturday. The city's Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Shields' decision in a press conference, while calling for the "immediate termination" of the officer who shot Brooks.

"Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as police chief so that the city may move forward with urgency in rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities," Bottoms said.