A Seattle cop seen on video rolling his bike over the head of a protester laying on the street has been placed on leave.
CBS News reports that the incident occurred during a protest on Wednesday in response to a grand jury’s decision not to charge the three officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor. The widely shared video showed a group of officers riding and walking their bikes down a street when one of the officers appears to walk his bike over the head of a protester who was on the ground.
An investigation into the incident has been opened by the Office of Police Accountability, and it’s been forwarded to the King County Sheriff’s Office for a possible criminal investigation. According to the Office of Police Accountability, over 30 complaints about the incident have been filed and the department’s Force Investigation Team found “potential violations of SPD policy, as well as potential criminal conduct.” The department didn’t say whether or not the officer will be paid while on leave.
In Downtown Seattle, peaceful protests took place on Wednesday with people holding signs that called for “Justice for Breonna.” Seattle police said that over a dozen people were arrested during the protests. A statement announcing the investigation accused protesters of allegedly assaulting officers, lighting fires and hitting an officer in the head with a metal bat in the head.
The lack of justice for Breonna Taylor has spurred protests across the country. In San Diego, officers declared a protest held in front of police headquarters an unlawful assembly “in response to acts of violence & vandalism.”
In Louisville, where Breonna Taylor was murdered, two officers were shot on Wednesday. The officers are expected to survive and a suspect has been arrested. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who mobilized 500 members of the state’s National Guard ahead of the verdict, said that he and President Trump are in agreement that federal agents shouldn’t be deployed to the city, currently.