The destruction followed similar incidents in cities nationwide following the death of Floyd in Minneapolis. But in other cities, statues of Confederate soldiers and other symbols of slavery were destroyed. 

In Madison, statues of Wisconsin's motto "Forward" and of Col. Hans Christian Heg were dragged away from their spots guarding the statehouse.

Heg was an anti-slavery activist who fought and died for the Union during the U.S. Civil War. His nearly 100-year-old sculpture was decapitated and thrown into a Madison lake by protesters. 

The original Forward statue was first placed in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol in 1895. Protesters tore down a replica that was commissioned in the 1990s.

Forward is "an allegory of devotion and progress," according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

Madison Police Department said 200 to 300 protesters were within the crowd that ultimately became violent. 

The group first entered a private condo building in Madison and surrounded a tow truck, forcing the owner to abandon the vehicle before smashing windows and tearing down the Capitol statues.