A Seattle police officer rolled his bike over a protester's head. He's been placed on leave.

[Demovictory9]

Link to tweet

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/A-Seattle-police-officer-rolled-his-bike-over-a-15596557.php

The protester has yet to be identified, and his condition following the incident is unclear.

In a statement Thursday, the Seattle Office of Police Accountability, the city's law enforcement watchdog, noted that a review from the department's Force Investigation Team found what unfolded in the video to be "potential violations of SPD policy, as well as potential criminal conduct." The office said it had received more than 30 complaints about the video, and requested a criminal investigation.

The incident, which happened around midnight on Thursday in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, unfolded on a tense night of protests around the nation after a grand jury in Louisville declined to indict officers for the death of Breonna Taylor. In Seattle, multiple officers were injured and 13 people were arrested on charges including property destruction, resisting arrest and failure to disperse. One protester was charged with assault after an officer was struck in the head with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet, police said.

"The SPD is fully committed to the oversight and transparency systems the City has in place," the police department said in a Thursday news release. "The SPD calls on the community to encourage peaceful protests and conversation, and bring an end to continued destruction and violence."


Response to the incident comes amid an ongoing political battle in Seattle over proposed police budget cuts. The city council has pushed for 50% reduction in the department budget, a plan opposed by Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Footage of the incident, filmed by independent journalist C.J. Halliburton, was widely shared, with one video tallying about 3.5 million views as of early Friday. Backlash to the incident was swift.

"@SeattlePD is this how you train your officers?" asked the Twitter user who posted the viral video.

[gratuitous]

1. The PD calls for "an end to continued destruction and violence" does it?

And yet they remain blind to their own violence.

[Bev54]

2. Placed on leave?

There is nothing ambiguous about the video, he should have been fired on the spot and charged with assault.