LAPD Releases Body Cam Footage Of May 30 Protest Skirmishes

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Los Angeles Police Department released an edited montage of body cam footage of two incidents between police and protesters during the nationwide uprising in the wake of George Floyd's death. The events happened on May 30 near the Grove, after peaceful protesters at Pan Pacific Park began to leave the park and march through the city.

One clip from the footage shows an officer shoving an unarmed black man attempting to walk along the skirmish line, agitating a large group of nearby protestors. A bottle is thrown from the crowd and one protester kicks at an officer, causing the officers to shoot rubber bullets into the crowd.

Bradley Steyn, a longtime activist and former spy for Nelson Mandela's party, was responsible for the initial kick. Soon after he was shot in the groin with a rubber bullets, causing him to be transported to the hospital with a ripped scrotum and ruptured testicle.

Elsewhere in the video montage, a scuffle between officers and protesters escalates when one protester grabs an officer by the neck and pulls him into the crowd. In response, several officers swung their batons at a host of protesters in a hasty attempt to clear the area.

Protesters can be heard pleading with officers to let an injured man, who was off camera, get back onto his feet after being knocked down during the clash.

The incidents in question are two of numerous allegations that police used excessive force during the widespread protests across Los Angeles. LAPD said they were investigating 56 separate allegations, half of which pertained to the use of force.

“We are aware of individuals who have posted videos online and on social media depicting encounters with the police that they believe constitutes excessive force or misconduct during these demonstrations,” LAPD said at the time. “We will investigate each instance thoroughly and hold any officer who violates department policy accountable.”

Many protesters and health experts decried officers use of rubber bullets and other projectiles at such close range. Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles and other groups sought a restraining order against the use of rubber bullets and batons, citing the high number of injuries caused to protesters.

“The LAPD has used so-called rubber bullets and batons indiscriminately to disrupt and disperse protesters with many serious injuries resulting,” attorney Paul Hoffman wrote on behalf of BLM-L.A. and more than a dozen protesters injured by police officers. “The images of baton-wielding LAPD officers and protesters’ injuries unacceptably increase the cost of public participation in these important exercises of First Amendment rights.”

Although often referred to as non-lethal rounds, data shows that rubber bullets can cause lasting damage, or be fatal in rare instances. A 2017 study led by Dr. Rohini Haar found that of 1,984 people struck with rubber or plastic bullets, 15% suffered permanent injuries and 3% were killed.

"Given their inherent inaccuracy, potential for misuse and associated health consequences of severe injury, disability and death, [kinetic impact projectiles] do not appear to be appropriate weapons for use in crowd-control settings," the study said. "There is an urgent need to establish international guidelines on the use of crowd-control weapons to prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths."