Amy Klobuchar forced to cancel Minnesota rally after protesters occupy stage

Campaign manager Justice Buoen told said he was "very disappointed" that the event had to be called off

Amy Klobuchar was forced to cancel a rally in her home state by protesters who took over the stage and called for her to drop out of the presidential race.

Hours before she did decide to suspend her campaign and back Joe Biden, the Minnesota senator was scheduled to speak at St Louis Park High School in suburban Minneapolis.

However, dozens of protesters entered the gymnasium to criticise her presidential run and her handling of the case of a black teen sentenced to life in prison while she was a prosecutor.

The protesters raised signs and chanted “black lives matter” and “Myon”, a reference to Myon Burrell, who was convicted of the murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards.

They refused to move from the stage and left Ms Klobuchar and her campaign team no other option than to cancel the event.

Campaign manager Justice Buoen said that he was “very disappointed,” adding that Ms Klobuchar was ready to meet with the protesters, who agreed to sit down with her and then changed their minds, according to CNN.

“We had a negotiation and had an agreement with the organisers of the protest to meet with the senator on site.

"She was in the room ready to meet with them and then they changed the terms and decided that they didn't want to meet with her,” he said in a conference room.

“Really wish that we would have been able to one, do the meeting, and listen to the protesters, but also have the event.”

Protesters were said to be affiliated with the Racial Justice Network and Minneapolis NAACP.

Mr Burrell was sent to prison for life after Tyesha Edwards was killed by a stray bullet while doing homework at her dining room table.

An Associated Press investigation into the case questioned the prosecution, uncovering new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, and labelling the handling of the case "flawed".

A campaign spokesperson told Associated Press that Burrell was tried and convicted of Tyesha’s murder twice, and the second trial occurred when Ms Klobuchar was no longer the Hennepin County Attorney.

However, Ms Klobuchar has said if there is new information in the case it should be considered. Some activists have maintained that her response doesn't go far enough.

Burrell, now 33, has maintained his innocence, rejecting all plea deals.

On Monday morning her campaign said she was suspending her campaign and was planning to throw her support behind Mr Biden, the former vice-president now looking like the most viable moderate. Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race on Sunday evening.

The remaining five candidates – Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Mike Bloomberg and Tulsi Gabbard – will fight for 1,357 delegates from 14 states, plus American Samoa and Democrats Abroad, on Super Tuesday.

Ms Klobuchar struggled to win support from black voters, CNN reported and has only managed to gain a 1% support from black respondents according to a CNN exit poll taken in South Carolina on Saturday.

Additional reporting by Associated Press