Dozens of police officers guarded a McDonald's restaurant like it was 'Fort Knox' during riots in Philadelphia tonight (October 27).

Onlookers were surprised by the heavy police presence outside the fast-food joint while other businesses such as Walmart were looted. They said the police guard resembled the high-security protection around U.S. army facility Fort Knox.

It came as violence erupted in the city following the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace Jr on Locust Street on Monday night.

Video of the Walter Wallace shooting emerged on social media and showed an officer emptying several rounds into the 27-year-old man, who appeared to be charging towards police with a knife.

He then collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood before being transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died shortly after.

Riots and protests fuelled by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement erupted in the neighbourhood in Pennsylvania shortly after the shooting.

The National Guard has now moved into the city to try and stop the unrest, which comes just a week before the final day of voting in the U.S. elections between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.