Butler police and the Butler County Sheriff's Office are preparing for possible protests in the city this afternoon, as protests over the death of George Floyd continue to spread nationwide.

Law enforcement officials specifically are aware of a Facebook posting that read: “Riot in butler May 31st at 2:00. meet at the diamond park.”

The post was made at 1:17 a.m. by someone using the Facebook name “On Beav.”

Sheriff Mike Slupe said he has deployed a number of deputies to the county courthouse in response to the alleged threat. He said authorities were working to determine both the identity of the person who made the post and the credibility of the threat.

“The unknown is what we're preparing for,” he said. “We're preparing for a number of people who may want to cause damage or harm to property — and in our case, the county property.”

Slupe, said he learned about the social media post via text this morning from Butler Police Chief Bob O'Neill.

A city police officer said the department has fielded a number of calls from concerned businesses. He said he was too busy to provide any additional information.

Protests began in Minneapolis following Floyd's death Monday after a police officer pressed a knee on his neck until he stopped breathing,

The protests have turned violent and they spread to other U.S. cities including Pittsburgh on Saturday. Many of those cities have sustained broken windows, burned-out buildings and ransacked stores.