Seattle Police officer struck in head with baseball bat by protester (VIDEO)

Sep 24 2020, 6:51 pm

Wednesday night’s protests led to 13 arrests, questionable police conduct, as well as several protesters approaching the Seattle Police officers on duty.

While most protesters remained peaceful, several set dumpsters on fire and threw explosives at officers.

In a video circulating on social media, a police officer is seen having fallen off his bicycle. He’s then laughed at before someone throws a traffic cone at him and another tries to grab his bike.

As the officer deploys pepper spray on the crowd, a protester is seen swinging a baseball bat at the officer, striking him hard in the head.

The Seattle Police Department confirmed that an officer was struck and released images of the broken helmet.

Seattle Police Department

The helmet with a crack / Seattle Police Department

The police are currently looking to identify the individual with the baseball bat and are asking Seattleites to call the tip line at 206-233-5000 with information.

The protests Wednesday followed the decision made by Kentucky prosecutors to not arrest the officers who opened fire on Breonna Taylor in March. The attorney general’s reasoning for the decision was that the police were justified in using force because they acted in self-defense. Only one officer was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree for shooting into a neighbor’s apartment.

“[Sgt. Jonathan] Mattingly and [detective Myles] Cosgrove were justified in their return of deadly fire after having been fired upon by Kenneth Walker. Let me state that again. According to Kentucky law, the use of force by Mattingly and Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves,” said Attorney General Daniel Cameron during a press conference.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer released a statement reminding Americans that the “case is far from over.”

He said the FBI is still conducting its own investigation, which the Department of Justice will review to determine whether there was any violation of federal law, including Civil Rights violations, while the LMPD conducts a Professional Standards Unit investigation to determine if any policies and procedures were violated by officers involved in the case. The chief of police will use that report to determine if any officers need further training or discipline.

Alyssa TherrienAlyssa Therrien

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